Australia, UK Vehicle Prices Comparable, Study Finds

A benchmarking project undertaken by Australia's Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) comparing price and specification levels of various new motor vehicles available in the Australian market with equivalent models in the UK.

by Staff

August 6, 2014

3 min to read

The vehicles chosen for the project represent a cross section of mainstream and premium brands, and are available in both markets. The benchmarking data shows specification levels for each model vary between countries. As such, the pricing provided reflects specification levels.

The benchmarking was undertaken by IHS Automotive and verified with FCAI members.

Taking into account the different specifications, the benchmarking demonstrates that Australian-market vehicles are price competitive, against comparable motor vehicles sold in either the United Kingdom or New Zealand, according to the FCAI.

The vehicles included for this analysis are: Ford Focus Trend hatch, Mazda 3 Neo, Toyota Corolla Ascent Sport hatch, BMW 328i, and Mercedes-Benz C200 sedan.

The FCAI said it is continuing to collect price and specification data for other models.

To produce a like for like comparison, the FCAI and automotive brands reviewed the IHS Automotive data and provided an estimate of the cost in the United Kingdom of the model variant with specifications equal to that available in Australia. Further comparison research was also undertaken for other models, independent of the IHS analysis. The following table provides the price comparison.

The benchmarking data shows that specification levels for each model vary between countries. As such, the pricing provided reflects specification levels.

Vehicle	Price in Australia (MLP)¹	Price in UK² (of Australian-spec model³)	Notes
Ford Focus Trend hatch	AUD$22,290	AUD$32,325
Mazda 3 Neo	AUD$23,792	AUD $31,405	Some difference in specification level in the UK
Toyota Corolla Ascent Sport hatch	AUD$23,540	AUD $24,250	Sold as the Toyota Auris Icon in the UK
Audi A3 Sportback 1.4 TFSI S tronic (92kW)	AUD$35,600	AUD$37,641	Designated ‘SE’ in UK and ‘Attraction’ in Australia
Audi Q5 2.0 TDI quattro S tronic (130kW)	AUD$62,600	AUD$63,645
BMW 3 series – 328i	AUD$69,400	AUD$68,808
Mercedes-Benz C-class	AUD$60,900	AUD$56,659
Mercedes-Benz A180	AUD$35,600	AUD$42,417
Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG	AUD$74,900	AUD$87,156
Mercedes-Benz ML350 BlueTec Diesel	AUD$92,303	AUD$100,410	AU Price listed excludes a LCT payment of $9,933, which brings the total MLP of the motor vehicle to AUD$102,236.
Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 SE	AUD$54,100	AUD$55,832
Range Rover Evoque eD4 Pure	AUD$49,995	AUD$46,795
Range Rover Sport SDV6 HSE	AUD$110,688	AUD$103,486	AU Price listed excludes a LCT payment of $15,541, which brings the total MLP of the motor vehicle to AUD$126,229

Notes:

1. Prices are Manufacturer’s List Price and includes GST applicable to the base/standard specification model but does not include dealer delivery and various government charges (e.g. registration fees, stamp duty, CTP and the like) normally included in a ‘drive-away’ price. Any LCT applicable is shown in the notes column.

2. For conversion purposes we have used the average daily exchange rate during the 1st half of 2014 from the Reserve Bank of Australia, Exchange Rate Data [http://www.rba.gov.au/statistics/hist-exchange-rates/index.html]—$1 to £0.55 GBP

3. Price in the UK if a model with the same level of specification as Australian variant was available. Where a model with this level of specification is not available, these prices are based on estimates from the brand.

Topics:Pricing New Zealand United Kingdom IHS Automotive IHS Markit Australia Operations Vehicle Research Global Fleet

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