Car dealerships around the country say it is still "extremely difficult" to source stock amid a global shortage of new vehicles and they are unsure when supply will recover to meet demand.
The coronavirus pandemic is continuing to disrupt manufacturing and logistics around the world, forcing some prospective car buyers to wait months for a vehicle.
Cairns' largest car dealership, Trinity Auto Group principal Richard Jaska said enquiries had "gone through the roof", but it could not convert them to sales due to not being allocated enough stock by manufacturers.
"This time last year we would probably be holding another 400 cars normally," Mr Jaska said.
"We can only sell what we can see at the moment and what we can see is probably 30 or 40 per cent down on what we would normally receive."
Mr Jaska said despite a pick-up in demand and customers snapping up available stock, year-on-year new vehicle sales were significantly down compared to pre-pandemic levels.
"I have heard this from some smaller rural guys in New South Wales."
Mr Jaska said the shortage had boosted used car sales, but even second-hand vehicle stocks had dried up.
'There's not much we can do'
The Australian Automotive Dealer Association (AADA) chief executive James Voortman said global supply issues affected more than just the car industry.
Mr Voortman said the impacts were not uniform across all makes and models.
"I think the chief determining factor was where was that car manufactured and if it was manufactured in a country or in a region that has been affected by COVID-19 to the extent that a factory has had to close or had supply disrupted," he said.
He said the supply problem became apparent in Australia around June–July last year as consumers emerged from initial coronavirus lockdowns and became interested in buying cars again.
"There are a lot of consumers looking to buy," he said.
"It is incredibly frustrating, and you have to remember this industry has been doing it tough for some time. New car sales fell in 2018, 2019 and in 2020 they fell by the largest margin on record, so our members are desperate to be able to trade."
Mr Voortman said he hoped the problem would not linger through 2021.
"I think the number one thing we can do is be patient," he said.
"I think gradually our importers are learning how to deal with the pandemic and how to make cars in the new COVID-19-safe environment.
"Unfortunately there's not much we can do when all of the passenger cars which are sold in Australia are manufactured overseas."
