Page 14 - Australaasian Paint & Panel Jan-Feb 2022

NEWS
14
PAINT&PANEL JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022
WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
CHRYSLER DODGES OZ
FCA AUSTRALIA, A SUBSIDIARY OF
Stellantis, has confirmed the depar- ture of the Chrysler brand from Aus- tralia; the sole remaining right-hand- drive market selling Chrysler vehicles. The global push towards electrifica- tion and focus on SUVs has resulted in a consolidation of the overall product lineup in Australia.
Chrysler Australia opened the Tons- ley Park assembly plant in the suburbs
of Adelaide in 1964, and from there it became a celebrated brand manufac- tured in Australia.
FCA Australia has committed to the
supply of parts and authorised servicing for Chrysler vehicles; all Jeep dealer- ships across the country will continue to service Chrysler vehicles.
FREE EV COURSES
WITH MORE LOWER COST EV MODELS
coming on the market and better charg- ing networks across Australia, EV sales will only continue to grow.
Technicians will be expected to have a thorough understanding in the reprogramming of vehicle software, coding and repairing high voltage re- chargeable energy storage systems.
As part of I-CAR’s global initiative to prepare and support the industry for this shift in vehicle type, the online course Understanding High Voltage Safety has been made available to eve- ryone at no cost.
This 45 minute course covers the major parts of an electric vehicle high voltage (HV) system, HV safety measures in vehicle design and meth- ods to reduce shock risks. It introduc- es elements of electricity and the re- lationship between voltage, current and resistance with high voltage sys- tems. The course will also explore the effects of electricity on the body and the required PPE when working in this environment.
I-CAR Australia invites anyone and everyone to this free course.
HYBRID SALES GROW
ACCORDING TO RESEARCH CONDUCTED
by Carloop.com.au, analysing 50,000 hybrid car sales in Australia from 2019 to 2021, sales of the Toyota RAV4 hybrid electric/petrol vehicle increased by 39 per cent year on year in 2021 compared to 2019 despite the global pandemic and semi-conductor shortage.
This eclipsed the sales figures of the petrol variant.
Carloop looked at a random selection of 50,000 hybrid cars sold in Australia during the Covid-19 pandemic. Of the 50,000, 46,282 were Toyota hybrids.
The far and away leader in hybrid sales is Toyota, claiming 92 per cent of the market, followed by Mitsubishi on three per cent, Hyundai on two per cent, and Subaru on one per cent. Of the
46,282 vehicles sold by Toyota, Toyota Corolla hybrid sales totalled (61 per cent), RAV4s (37 per cent), while the Kluger hybrid sold 968 (two per cent).
Not only has the RAV4 become the most popular SUV sold in Australia, but the hybrid version became the most pop- ular type of RAV4 sold in 2020 with the trend continuing into 2021 and projected to continue into 2022.
Current Australian new car sales buck world trends. There is a current global new car sales slump of 14 per cent, a US sales dip of 15.83 per cent (2019 vs 2020) and UK sales contraction of 27 per cent (2019 vs 2020.) By contrast, Australian car sales have surged 33 per cent year on year (Octo- ber 2020 to 2021) according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.