THE federal election failed to put the brakes on new car sales in   June. It was the single biggest month in Australian auto-motive history, with 128,569 vehicles delivered. That was up by 2.2 per cent on the previous record set in   June last year, -according to figures supplied by the Federal Chamber of -Automotive Industries. 
The 598,140 new vehicles reported as sold in the first six months of the year mean the annual tally is on track to eclipse the 1.2 million mark for the first time. However, the car industry is bracing for a slowdown in the second half of this year amid the uncertainty of a hung parliament.
Mazda Australia boss Martin Benders said: "We had a bumper start to the year and the lead-up to the election -appeared to have a negligible impact on car sales.
"But it's unclear at this stage what the outcome of the federal election will do to consumer confidence." There is also the possibility "Brexit" could drive up prices of Japanese cars, which represent more than one-third of all models sold in Australia, as the yen becomes a "safe haven" currency and increases in value. "Add in global disruptions like Brexit â€¦ we may continue to see adverse currency impacts as well," he said. "So we see the second half of the year as under pressure."The Hyundai i30 hatchback was the top-selling car for the fourth month in a row, with the highest monthly tally of any vehicle in 11 years. It leads the market ahead of the -Toyota Corolla and Mazda3.