SYDNEY, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Australian new vehicle sales started the new year on a strong note as buyers' obsession with sports utilities showed no sign of abating, setting 2016 on track for another record.

The Australian Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries' VFACTS report on Wednesday showed total sales were 84,373 in January, up 2.7 percent on-year. January this year also had one less selling day.

The upbeat start followed a stellar 2015 when a record 1.16 million vehicles were sold.

Australians spend around A$20 billion on vehicles annually, equal to almost 9 percent of total household consumption.

Demand for sports utility vehicles (SUVs) heated up even further, with sales 19.5 percent higher than in January last year. Those gains have come partly at the expense of passenger vehicles which fell 11.5 percent in January.

Sales of light commercial vehicles jumped 11.9 percent, extending a strong run that could be a harbinger of firmer business investment. Sales of heavy vehicles fell 5.4 percent, to partly reverse a jump in December.

Toyota Motor Corp retained first place on the sales ladder in January but with a reduced market share of 14.8 percent. Mazda Motor Corp enjoyed a bumper month as its share surged to an historically high 11.9 percent.

Hyundai Motor Co stole third place with 8.3 percent of the market, while the local Holden unit of General Motors Co took 8.1 percent.

Nissan took 6.6 percent and Ford 6.5 percent.

Details of the VFACTS report in original terms:

Jan Dec m/m pct Jan/15 y/y pct

Sales 84,373 99,616 -15.3 82,116 +2.7

Sales by Type: Jan '16/Jan '15 Volumes

Change Pct Change

Passenger Vehicles -4,585 -11.5

Sports Utility +5,394 +19.5

Light Commercial +1,539 +11.9

Heavy Commercial -91 -5.4 (Reporting by Wayne Cole; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)