SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian new vehicle sales posted a second consecutive month of solid gains in November, with strong demand in the commercial sector pointing to a continued pick up in business spending.
The Australian Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries' VFACTS report out on Tuesday showed 101,365 new vehicles were sold in November, up 2.5 percent on the same month last year. Both months had the same number of selling days.
That total was a record for a November month and left sales for the year to date running 0.6 percent ahead of the same period in 2016.
Demand for commercial vehicles showed no signs of waning with the light sector up 7.9 percent on November last year, while sales of heavy vehicles surged 22.7 percent.
Sales of passenger cars extended their long decline with a fall of 7.3 percent in November, losing share to sports utilities which rose 8.6 percent.
Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> retained first place on the sales ladder with a steady share of 18.6 percent, while Mazda Motor Corp <7261.T> grabbed second spot with 9.2 percent.
Hyundai Motor <005380.KS> claimed 8.7 percent, followed by the Holden unit of General Motors <GM.N> on 7.8 percent. Mitsubishi <7211.T> took 6.6 percent, followed by Ford <F.N> at 6.2 percent.
(Reporting by Wayne Cole; Editing by Eric Meijer)
