Sales of supercars hit top gear despite the rest of the industry posting its 21st month in a row in decline.

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The top end of town treated themselves to record numbers of supercars in 2019 while the rest of us did it tough. Ferrari posted its fifth record in a row – and the seventh all-time high in nine years – while Lamborghini notched up its second record in a row and the fourth in the past five years. Official figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) showed Ferrari Australia reported 257 new vehicles as sold in 2019, up 6.6 per cent from 241 sales the year before and two-and-a-half times more than the 2012 tally of 98 deliveries. Italian supercar rival Lamborghini reported 147 vehicles as sold in 2019, up 9.7 per cent from 134 the year before and more than triple the 2012 tally of 41 deliveries.

Porsche sales were up by 6.4 per cent to 4161 deliveries, but the German sports car maker’s record still stands at 4484 set in 2017. While the rest of the new-car market took a 7.8 per cent dive to 1,062,867 deliveries in 2019 – the 21st month in a row in decline and the longest slowdown since the Global Financial Crisis a decade ago – sales of exotic sports cars have remained relatively resilient. The exceptions are Maserati (down 24.9 per cent to 482) and Aston Martin (down 22.8 per cent to 129), while demand for McLaren models remained stable, selling the exact same number of cars in 2019 as it did in 2018 (88). Other bright spots in the super-luxury class include Rolls-Royce: its 37.5 per cent increase in sales to 55 vehicles reported as sold was an all-time record in Australia, driven by demand for the Cullinan SUV, the Black Badge range and Wraith.

Meanwhile, Rolls-Royce globally posted its best result in the 116-year history of the company – with 5152 vehicles reported as sold – once again largely driven by sales of the Cullinan SUV. Rolls-Royce’s 2019 result was 25 per cent higher than its previous record of 4107 set in 2018. Bentley was less fortunate that its British rival Rolls-Royce: sales dipped by 8.2 per cent, although it sold 191 new vehicles in Australia last year. MORE: Australian car sales news