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.

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.

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.