Leading Auto Brands in Australia: Q4 2023 Analysis

In the fast-paced world of the automotive industry, digital presence is key. As we delve into Q4 2023, we explore the performance of leading brands in Australia’s auto category. With data from Sensor Tower, we gain insights into the audience trends, app engagement, and advertising strategies of carsales.com Limited, Carsguide.com.au, and Tesla Motors.

carsales.com Limited

carsales.com Limited stands out with its extensive digital reach, featuring websites like bikesales.com.au and carsales.com.au, alongside the carsales: Buy & Sell Cars app.

• Audience Trends: From Q3 to Q4 2023, carsales.com.au maintained a stable monthly true audience of over 2.4M, while bikesales.com.au saw fluctuations, peaking at around 6.1M visits in December. The web dominated their monthly true audience, with app-only visitors contributing to a smaller portion.

• App Engagement: The carsales app experienced a slight decline in monthly active users, hovering around 880K by December. This indicates a consistent yet slightly decreasing interest in mobile platforms.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Monthly advertising spend peaked in December at approximately $177K, with a significant push on Facebook, which accounted for the majority of impressions. Interestingly, OTT platforms were not prominently featured in their strategy.

Carsguide.com.au

Carsguide.com.au's digital presence is primarily web-focused, with its CarsGuide - Used Cars For Sale app playing a supporting role.

• Audience Trends: The website saw a modest increase in visits, reaching over 3M in December. Monthly true audience figures, however, dipped to around 520K, reflecting a shift in user engagement patterns.

• App Engagement: The CarsGuide app's monthly active user base gradually decreased, ending the quarter with approximately 16K users. This trend suggests a potential area for growth in mobile engagement.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Carsguide's advertising efforts were robust, with monthly spend rising to about $46K in December. Facebook was the dominant channel, while Instagram impressions also saw a notable increase.

Tesla Motors

Tesla Motors continues to captivate audiences with its innovative approach, leveraging both its tesla.com website and the Tesla app.

• Audience Trends: Tesla.com experienced a stable monthly visitor count, averaging around 3.5M in December. The monthly true audience grew to approximately 360K, with substantial contributions from both web and app platforms.

• App Engagement: The Tesla app showed significant growth in monthly active users, climbing to about 93K by December. This upward trend highlights the increasing importance of mobile integration for Tesla’s user base.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Interestingly, Tesla’s monthly ad spend was negligible, with a brief appearance on Instagram in November. This minimal spend aligns with Tesla’s unconventional approach to marketing.

Conclusion

In Q4 2023, Australia’s leading auto brands demonstrated varied strategies in digital engagement. Sensor Tower’s comprehensive data reveals the nuanced dynamics of web and app platforms, providing critical insights into audience behavior. As these brands navigate the digital landscape, understanding these trends will be pivotal in shaping future strategies.

Sensor Tower continues to be an invaluable resource, offering unparalleled insights into cross-platform user behavior through our Web Insights, App Performance Insights, and Pathmatics offerings.