My question is ... does it really matter these days?
Australia has next to zero local car manufacturing. So the swings in buyer consumption is worn by overseas manufacturers. Ask any car salesperson, and they will swear that at that price, they are not making any money on the car
So, they are not loosing (or winning).
On the flip side, if consumers are not buying new cars, then they would have to be spending more on maintenance (and in turn generating local employment) keeping the cars on the road. The local Dealer should be making a few more bucks flogging spare parts at ridiculous prices.
If anything, it appears that the "automatic stabilizers" in the Australian dollar, the taxation system, and new car sales is just doing its thing.