SYDNEY, June 9, 2026, 23:01 (AEST)
• CAR Group finished 2.23% higher at A$27.05, bouncing after the ASX reopened from the Monday King’s Birthday break.
• The S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.24% to 8,604.2, with CAR outperforming the index.
• Recent consumer and business data kept the outlook uncertain for advertising and sales related to cars.
CAR Group Limited finished up 2.23% at A$27.05 on Tuesday, while the Australian benchmark index was weaker after the holiday break. Shares in the online vehicle listing company bucked a softer end for the market.
ASX cash market trading picked up after being closed on Monday for the King’s Birthday, so today’s move landed in the first session back. CAR posted a short bounce, up 8.90% over the past week, but the stock was still down around 35% from its 12-month high back in August 2025.
CAR shares traded in a wide range. Google Finance data had the stock open at A$25.95, fall to A$25.82, then hit a session high of A$27.22 before closing at A$27.05. Volume reached 2.43 million shares, above the average 2.13 million.
S&P/ASX 200 slipped 20.9 points, or 0.24%, to finish at 8,604.2. Utilities, energy and basic materials all fell, holding back gains in most other sectors.
CAR runs carsales in Australia and has vehicle and equipment marketplaces such as Encar in South Korea, Trader Interactive in the US, and chileautos in Chile. It controls a majority of Brazil’s webmotors. The group calls itself an ASX 50 company operating in Oceania, Asia, and the Americas.
Investors last got an official earnings snapshot back in February. CAR then said first-half pro forma revenue was A$626 million, up 13% on a constant currency basis. Pro forma EBITDA came in at A$339 million, a 12% lift. That’s earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation — a metric often used for operating profit.
The company stuck with its full-year FY26 forecast, still calling for 12% to 14% pro forma revenue growth and 10% to 13% pro forma EBITDA growth on a constant currency basis. Management flagged double-digit revenue gains for North America, Latin America and Asia. Australia should see growth in the high single digits.
Chief Executive William Elliott said in that February update CAR had posted a “strong first half” and called AI “a critical enabler” for the company. Elliott added Australian automotive “traffic and enquiry levels remain strong,” even with cost-of-living pressure and interest rates.
Weak consumer sentiment still weighs on the outlook. A Westpac-Melbourne Institute survey out Tuesday found confidence dropped 2.9% in June to 80.6. That’s well under the 100 mark, meaning more pessimists than optimists. Westpac economist Matthew Hassan called it “amongst the weakest” levels in the survey’s long record. Reuters
NAB reported small gains in business data. Business confidence improved by 10 points in May to minus 14, but conditions stuck at plus 3, which is still under their long-run average. Gareth Spence, NAB’s head of Australian economics, called the lift “off a very low base.” NAB’s group executive for business and private banking, Andrew Auerbach, said conditions are tough and “cost pressures remain real.” NAB News
Peers didn’t point to a clear sector trend. Google Finance data had SEEK up 2.93% Tuesday, while REA Group dropped 3.92%. CAR’s move sits in the middle—possibly a company story, possibly some buying in marketplace names.
Tuesday’s rally could be ignoring weak household data before demand really shows up. CAR said its FY26 results depend on macro, geopolitical factors, demand, inflation, and FX. If buyers hold off or dealers cut ad spend, offshore growth and new products may not do as much for earnings.
