Vfacts Decenmber 2010

[vztrt]

So we round out the year.

http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-new...104-19evt.html

Car sales slow in December
Toby Hagon
January 4, 2011 - 4:44PM

Demand for new vehicles softened in December but 2010 is still shaping up to be the third biggest year on record.

Vehicle sales figures to be released on Thursday are expected to show a December slowdown with some brands set to report big drops in sales compared with the same month for 2009.

Drive has seen confidential figures to be released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries that show brands such as Ford, Holden, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Honda and Subaru experienced a sales slump of between 6 and 24 per cent.

Mitsubishi and Ford were two brands understood to have been hit hard in a market that struggled to match the pace of what was a bumper end to 2009.
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There’s a strong possibility the overall sales for December 2010 could slump behind that of the corresponding period for 2009, although the year is on track for the third biggest result ever for new-car sales in Australia, with sales expected to peak at more than 1,030,000.

For the first nine months of the year new-car sales were up 25 per cent but the last three months of the year have seen the market growth slow, partly on the back of a strong end to 2009. October sales were up just 0.1 per cent, while November grew only 1.8 per cent.

The Holden Commodore continued its long-running streak as the best-selling car in the country, a mantle it’s held for 15 consecutive years.

However, on the back of various year-end incentives Toyota’s small cars – the Yaris and Corolla – enjoyed a big sales burst. The Corolla, again the top-selling small car by just edging out the Mazda3, was the best seller for December, selling almost 5000 cars.

Not all brands saw sales slide, however.

Hyundai’s impressive growth continued in December with sales jumping 45 per cent, putting the brand on track to experience sales growth of about one-third.

Toyota was again the top selling brand with modest sales growth but enough to surge it past 200,000 vehicles yet again.

Nissan was another brand that experienced growth on the back of the arrival of its new Micra city car.

[dannyhilton]

With a 2.9% finance deal on the Yaris and Corolla, their sales will no doubt be on fire. As for the predicted slump for Ford, I hate to pull up excuses, but we're all full aware that fleet sales drop in December, January and February, before gaining momentum in March. Ranger, Falcon and Territory sell well to fleets, so IMO this would explain why Ford may have dropped more than others. Add to this the ageing Focus, limited stock of WS Fiesta Zetec models before the WT Fiesta Zetec model comes in March (the Zetec is the biggest seller) and the medium car market (Mondeo) never being a massive one apart from the Camry, well if Ford gained ground it'd be a miracle.

The next few months will be tough, but in March we'll have the WT Fiesta Zetec which should hopefully clear availability issues, after that an updated Territory with a TDCi option which should no doubt assist sales, and then a revised Falcon with EcoBoost. Fingers crossed.

[deesun]

One of the hardest things in any sales arena is to regain lost ground, to get people back after going to another brand and Ford is still losing ground to almost everyone.

[bobthebilda]

However, on the back of various year-end incentives Toyota’s small cars – the Yaris and Corolla – enjoyed a big sales burst. The Corolla, again the top-selling small car by just edging out the Mazda3, was the best seller for December, selling almost 5000 cars.

5000 cars a month is a pretty good effort, even with the 2.9% finance they are offering. The finance offer is applicable up to the end of Jan 2011, so the corolla should build up a decent lead over the commodore by end of January. I assume Holden are going to have to come up with something, or risk losing the largest selling australian car title.

[Bossxr8]

With down days and an early shutdown December was always going to be a poor month for Ford.

[Resurrection]

So what are the numbers for December?

[morak001]

hmmm, the lack of a sedan based wagon may also have a small effect on the Falcon from '09 figures, but some drift to Territory or Mondeo may have occured with minimal impact on the bottom line, unless the drift was to commodore.....

[burnz]

Commodore, Falcon sales lowest in decades
http://www.carsales.com.au/news/2010...-decades-17859

[uranium_death]

Commodore and Falcon sales lowest in decades...
Gee, Mr Dowling REALLY researched that!

Large cars form the smallest percentage of total sales more than ever as people look towards small and medium alternatives.
In 1983 when you had the VH, small cars were not as well equipped as today.

Today a small car has many of the features of a larger car except the total power output, torque, size and space. For some people, that isn't important.

Companies are more prepared to put money into smaller cars now because they form a larger percentage of the market now and to have a car inferior to others will mean less success...theoretically at least...

[Resurrection]

A 'small' car isn't small these days. A 2011 Toyota Corolla is as big as a 1978 VB Holden Commodore.

[bobthebilda]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

With down days and an early shutdown December was always going to be a poor month for Ford.

Not exactly sure how shutting down production leads to poorer sales to the general public, but-

What is occurring with the local manufacturers is that each time they take a drop in production, they are in turn ruining one of their biggest consumer markets. For example, Ford employs approx 3000 for local assembly, and suppliers and like employ up to 7000 more. I think one would find a larger percentage of Falcon drivers in this group percentage wise than you would find in the general population. As these people get less hours due to shutdowns etc, they are less likely to purchase big ticket items like a Falcon. Less Falcon purchases leads to more shutdowns and so on and so on.


Purely from a financial perspective, if Ford have 3,000 employees and suppliers have 7000 employees for a Broadmeadows production base of 50,000 cars a year ( 5 cars per year per employee), then there is no way that anyone is making money from these numbers.

[dannyhilton]

Originally Posted by bobthebilda

Not exactly sure how shutting down production leads to poorer sales to the general public.

I think he's trying to say while you can sell a car with no cars on the lot, VFACTS don't count the sale until it's registered. So having an early shut down and down days is reflected in the sales tally.

[The Snout]

Don't forget there was a lunar eclipse too.

[prydey]

oh noes.... here we go again! the falcon is useless. ford are useless. ford's marketing is useless. large cars are silly. ford need a wagon. sales figures show which are the best products. sales figures show which companies are profitable and which aren't!......

[phillyc]

Originally Posted by burnz

Commodore, Falcon sales lowest in decades
http://www.carsales.com.au/news/2010...-decades-17859

That article is from 6 Jan 2010. Last years article

[burnz]

Originally Posted by phillyc

That article is from 6 Jan 2010. Last years article

ha ha you're right, i havent clicked over yet..

[DanielXR8]

Originally Posted by prydey

oh noes.... here we go again! the falcon is useless. ford are useless. ford's marketing is useless. large cars are silly. ford need a wagon. sales figures show which are the best products. sales figures show which companies are profitable and which aren't!......

I think you are doing the equivalent of your fingers in your ears going nah nah nah I can't hear you. Basically you are showing great promise as a candidate for a Ford regional sales manager position. ;)

On a serious note, Ford have burn't a lot of bridges with consumers over many years. It will take a decade or more of being on top of their game to even hope to reverse the trend.

You don't sell someone a shoddy Falcon or Territory, with no recalls or proper fixes and expect them to come running back to you a few years later when you offer a new engine choice in the same car. Only Ford and its die hard fans think that will work. Once someone moves away from a brand or service, it becomes exponentially harder to get them back. They are gun shy and in Fords case, for good reason. They are also in a incredibly competitive market. There will be no quick fixes for Ford.

Only a prolonged commitment to being the best in all areas: service, sales, warranty, dealers and support will see the trend pickup for them. Even if all that was in place, I would expect Ford have a decade or more of hard work in front of them to turn the reputation and sales around. I wish them the best, because so many jobs and unique Australian products depend on it, but new product or learning how to make cars more cost effectively in a shrinking market segment won't pull it off alone. That is just part of the equation. Ford needs to be a better experience in all contact points that the customer deals with them.

Dan

[Gobes32]

Originally Posted by DanielXR8

Too long to qoute.....



Dan

Exactly, Toyota did not earn a good reputation overnight, it took them decades..........

[tapeworm]

Originally Posted by Resurrection

A 'small' car isn't small these days. A 2011 Toyota Corolla is as big as a 1978 VB Holden Commodore.

yeah, new cars are freakin huge. Couldn't help noticing that my EF parked next to a recent Corolla sedan at the shops was actually smaller in dimension. New cars in general are too big and heavy imho.

[bobthebilda]

Whoa, the preliminary release of data from the vfacts website for December 2010 sales, would indicate a shocker for the local manufacturers. Sales for Large cars was 8003 cars, compared to 9620 for december 2009. Sales for 4x2 Utes was 4166 cars, a dramatic drop from the december 2009 total of 7490. Thats 12169 (dec 2010) cars compared to 17110 (dec 2009) cars in the two largest sectors that Locally made Holdens and Fords dominate in.

[ford man xf]

Holden Commodore best-selling car 15 years in a row

THE margin may be narrower but the Holden Commodore has posted its 15th straight year as the top-selling car in the country.
While Toyota blitzed the 2010 new vehicle market for the eighth straight year - which topped the one-million mark for only the third time - the Commodore passenger car stayed ahead of Corolla and HiLux.

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) figures show 45,956 Commodores sold last year, a run that started in 1996.

Holden chairman and managing director Mike Devereux said the Commodore still resonates with Australians drivers.

"It's our intention for Commodore to be the country's top-selling car for many years to come - we'll do this by continually improving the vehicle to ensure it remains relevant for Australian motorists," he said.

The Holden Cruze finished the year in the seventh position with 28,334 vehicles - fourth in the small car segment - ahead of the Adelaide-built version going on sale this year.

The FCAI said the new vehicle market outperformed other economic indicators last year, recording its second highest annual sales figure and passing one million units for only the third time.

Official VFACTS sales data released by the FCAI shows 1,035,574 passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles were in 2010, a 10.5 per cent increase on 2009 - which equates to 98,246 vehicles.

FCAI chief executive Andrew McKellar said the 2010 result was an "exceptional outcome."

"The result is very encouraging given all the challenges of the year - the prospect of higher interest rates, political uncertainty and the withdrawal of market stimulus," he said.

Mr McKellar said he expected 2011 to be a year of consolidation, with the prospect of further growth.

"With continuing strong levels of vehicle affordability there is no reason why the new vehicle market won't continue to perform better than other areas of the economy," he said.

TOP FIVE VEHICLES

1 Holden Commodore
2 Toyota Corolla
3 Toyota Hilux
4 Mazda 3
5 Hyundai i30

TOP FIVE BRANDS

1 Toyota
2 Holden
3 Ford
4 Mazda
5 Hyundai

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business...-1225982981003

[Archilino]

Aussie car sales top one million in 2010

New car market continues to perform as annual figures grow by more than 10 per cent
Australia has recorded its second-highest ever annual vehicle sales figure in 2010. With a total of 1,035,574 passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles sold last year, the new car market topped the magic million mark for only the third time in history.

Official VFACTS data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) today shows the 2010 calendar year score a 10.5 per cent rise over the year prior when 937,328 new vehicles were sold.

"This is an exceptional outcome and is the second highest result on record and only the third time ever that the market exceeded more than one million sales," said FCAI Chief Executive, Andrew McKellar.

"The result is very encouraging given all the challenges of the year – the prospect of higher interest rates, political uncertainty and the withdrawal of market stimulus.

"Consumers clearly recognised the safety and environmental benefits of upgrading to a new vehicle and in such a competitive market they were rewarded with good vehicles at good prices."

McKellar said that as Australia continues to benefit from a positive economic climate, the year ahead promises even greater new car sales.

"We expect 2011 will be a year of consolidation with the prospect of further improvement on the growth achieved last year," he explained.

"With continuing strong levels of vehicle affordability there is no reason why the new vehicle market won't continue to perform better than other areas of the economy."

The best performing brand of 2010 was Toyota with a 20.7 per cent market share; the Japanese brand topping local charts for the eighth consecutive year. Following Toyota were local manufacturers Holden and Ford on 12.8 and 9.2 per cent respectively.

Not shying away from large cars Australian buyers favoured most the Holden Commodore in 2010. It sold nearly 46,000 units as Holden's family favourite claimed Australia's most popular car for the 15th year running.

The Commodore shared the podium with Toyota Corolla (41,632) and Toyota Hilux (39,896).

Top Ten Models:

1. Holden Commodore (45,956)
2. Toyota Corolla (41,632)
3. Toyota HiLux (39,896)
4. Mazda 3 (39,003)
5. Hyundai i30 (29,772)
6. Ford Falcon (29,516)
7. Holden Cruze (28,334)
8. Toyota Camry (25,014)
9. Mitsubishi Lancer (23,076)
10. Hyundai Getz (21,547)

Top Ten Manufacturers:

Toyota (214,278)
Holden (132,923)
Ford (95,284)
Mazda (84,777)
Hyundai (80,038)
Nissan (62,676)
Mitsubishi (62,496)
Honda (40,375)
Subaru (40,025)
Volkswagen (38,016)

http://www.carpoint.com.au/news/2011...-in-2010-23126

[buggerlugs]

Geez, I thought I'd seen a lot of Holden Cruze's in my travels, but that number is staggering........

[anto]

Those numbers arent good.
I dont know what it is but it seems that a lot of people drift away from the brand over the years almost as if there is some kind of stigma associated with it. Sad.

a friend of mine who has always had fords, gt's xr8's and so on has just recently bought a new camry hybrid for his Mrs because he got 3 times more for his trade than the best of the Ford dealers would offer and that tiny interest rate form toyota.
I was staggered he did it, this guy is as Ford as you get but he was so insulted by the trade valuations and their refusal to budge.
My Brother also had always bought Fords and recently switched to a LandCrusier from his Terri turbo for the first time because it hadnt been updated in so long . I showed him the new one and he was excited about getting back into one again when the lease is up..

[trippytaka]

I think the amazing result in that is the i30. It's proof of the shift in attitudes towards quality of the Korean brand, good product design aesthetics and an indication that drive-away price point (and not whole-of-life costs) is a real sales driver.

[irish2]

Originally Posted by trippytaka

I think the amazing result in that is the i30. It's proof of the shift in attitudes towards quality of the Korean brand, good product design aesthetics and an indication that drive-away price point (and not whole-of-life costs) is a real sales driver.

Korea scored 3 in the top 10. I30, Cruze, and Getz.

[vztrt]

http://www.caradvice.com.au/97059/ho...-for-15-years/

Holden Commodore Australia’s favourite car for 15 years
By Tim Beissmann | January 6th, 2011

Today’s VFACTS data has confirmed the Holden Commodore is the top-selling new vehicle in Australia for the 15th consecutive year.

Holden sold 45,956 Commodores throughout 2010 – 1569 more than in 2009 – placing it 4324 units ahead of the second-placed Toyota Corolla.

The Commodore was also well clear of its traditional Australian-made rival, the Ford Falcon, which managed just 29,516 sales – less than two-thirds of the Holden.

The Commodore figure does not include sales of the Commodore-based Holden Ute (which totaled 11,405 for 2010, down from 12,104 in 2009), or the long-wheelbase Statesman and Caprice (1999 combined for 2010, down from 2039).

Its 3.5 percent sales increase is even more impressive when compared with the rest of the sub-$70K large car segment, which declined more than 10 percent (when Commodore sales are excluded).

The Commodore range received a boost in the second half of the year when Holden introduced the long-awaited VE Series II in September 2010, around four years after the initial launch of the VE in 2006.

Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Mike Devereux, said after more than 30 years on sale, the Commodore continued to resonate with Australian drivers.

“It’s our intention for Commodore to be the country’s top-selling car for many years to come – we’ll do this by continually improving the vehicle to ensure it remains relevant for Australian motorists,” Mr Devereux said.

Holden also enjoyed significant sales success in 2010 with the Cruze small sedan – delivering 28,334 units in its first full year on sale – as well as Barina and Captiva 5.

[vztrt]

http://www.caradvice.com.au/97025/20...alian-history/

2010 VFACTS: Second-highest new vehicle sales in Australian history
By Tim Beissmann | January 6th, 2011

Despite a slow final month of sales, the Australian automotive industry has posted its second-highest annual sales figure ever in 2010 and exceeded one million units for just the third time in history.

Official VFACTS data released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) shows that 1,035,574 passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles were sold in 2010, up 10.5 percent (98,246 vehicles) over 2009.

The Holden Commodore held off the Toyota Corolla to take the title as Australia’s top-selling vehicle for the 15th consecutive year.

Commodore sales were up 3.5 percent in 2010 compared with 2009 (45,956 vs 44,387), while Corolla enjoyed a sales increase of 6.7 percent (41,632 vs 39,013).

Top 10 sales by model:

1. Holden Commodore – 45,956
2. Toyota Corolla – 41,632
3. Toyota HiLux – 39,896
4. Mazda3 – 39,003
5. Hyundai i30 – 29,772
6. Ford Falcon – 29,516
7. Holden Cruze – 28,334
8. Toyota Camry – 25,014
9. Mitsubishi Lancer – 23,076
10. Hyundai Getz – 21,547

Toyota held its position as the top-selling brand – a title it has held since 2003. Despite its dominance, Toyota’s total market share fell from 21.4 percent in 2009 to 20.7 percent.

Second-placed Holden’s market share was unchanged at 12.8 percent, while Ford in third place lost more than one percent, falling from 10.3 percent to 9.2 percent.

Top 10 sales by marque:

1. Toyota – 214,718
2. Holden – 132,923
3. Ford – 95,284
4. Mazda – 84,777
5. Hyundai – 80,038
6. Nissan – 62,676
7. Mitsubishi – 62,496
8. Honda – 40,375
9. Subaru – 40,025
10. Volkswagen – 38,016

FCAI chief executive, Andrew McKellar, said the million-plus result was an “exceptional outcome” and a strong rebound following the global financial crisis of 2009.

“The result is very encouraging given all the challenges of the year – the prospect of higher interest rates, political uncertainty and the withdrawal of market stimulus,” Mr McKellar said.

“Consumers clearly recognised the safety and environmental benefits of upgrading to a new vehicle and in such a competitive market they were rewarded with good vehicles at good prices.”

Size – or more accurately, lack of – was king in 2010. The compact SUV segment was the biggest improver in 2010, with sales up 36.6 percent over 2009 levels. The light and small car segments also added 18.4 percent and 11.8 percent respectively over the previous 12 months.

Combined, those three segments accounted for 491,868 sales in 2010 – or 59.4 percent of the total new vehicle market (827,407 units, excluding commercial vehicles).

Every SUV segment experienced gains, and the total SUV market increased 25.0 percent (235,285 vs 188,153).

Not surprisingly, the large car segment was the only one to lose ground compared with 2009, with sales slipping 3.1 percent.

The Commodore was the only vehicle in the large sub-$70K segment to make significant gains.

Falcon sales fell 4.9 percent for the year from 31,023 to 29,516, while the Toyota Aurion fared even worse, down 15.4 percent to 11,764.

Sales of diesel and hybrid vehicles were well ahead in both private and non-private and passenger car and SUV segments for the year, and another milestone for 2010 was the introduction of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, which saw 112 electric vehicles registered in Australia for the first time.

Often forgotten in the hype of the year-end sales figures is the month of December. In 2010, December was the only month to record sales figures below the comparative month in 2009.

In total, 86,587 passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles were sold in the last month of 2010, down 2.4 percent (2121 vehicles) on the same month in 2009.

Toyota’s 2.9 percent finance offer helped push Corolla almost 1200 units clear of the Commodore, while Camry and Yaris also benefitted from the discount.

It was a tough month for the Falcon, however, sliding to eighth position and declining almost 30 percent compared with December 2009.

Top 10 sales by model:

1. Toyota Corolla – 4955
2. Holden Commodore – 3778
3. Toyota HiLux – 3527
4. Mazda3 – 3419
5. Toyota Camry – 3236
6. Holden Cruze – 2081
7. Hyundai i30 – 1986
8. Ford Falcon – 1939
9. Toyota Yaris – 1919
10. Nissan Navara – 1696

Despite the hot pricing, Toyota’s sales in December were only 1.6 percent ahead of the same month in 2009, although Holden, Ford and Mazda were all down considerably compared with December 2009.

Top 10 sales by marque:

1. Toyota – 20,940
2. Holden – 10,444
3. Ford – 7219
4. Mazda – 6989
5. Hyundai – 5877
6. Nissan – 5561
7. Mitsubishi – 5169
8. Honda – 3279
9. Volkswagen – 2747
10. Subaru – 2740

The upper-large segment was particularly strong (up 164.7 percent over 2009) due to strong Caprice sales and huge discounts on the Chrysler 300C.

The large car (down 16.8 percent) and medium SUV (down 21.2 percent) segments were the biggest losers, while sales of light, small, medium and sports cars were all well ahead of their yearly averages.

Looking ahead to 2011, Mr McKellar said he expected the year to be one of consolidation with the prospect of further improvement based on last year’s growth.

“With continuing strong levels of vehicle affordability there is no reason why the new vehicle market won’t continue to perform better than other areas of the economy,” he said.

[vztrt]

http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-new...106-19gx1.html

'More car for less money' driving new-car sales towards record
Toby Hagon
January 6, 2011 - 1:50PM

New car sales figures for 2010 show massive growth with this year shaping up to be even stronger.

Australians will buy more new cars this year than any other, according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries which today released 2010 sales figures that show more than 1 million new vehicles were sold for only the third time.

In 2010 Australians bought 1,035,574 new cars, utes, four-wheel-drives, SUVs, trucks, vans and buses, representing a 10.5 per cent increase over 2009.

Despite an increased focus on the environment and fuel economy sales of four-wheel-drives and SUVs (off-road style wagons) surged 25 per cent, now accounting for almost one in four new-vehicle sales with a total of 232,285 sold.
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Small and light (city) cars also posted strong sales results, increasing 11.8 and 18.4 per cent respectively.

"This is an exceptional outcome and is indeed the second-highest result on record and only the third time that the market has exceeded one million units," said Andrew McKellar, chief executive of the FCAI, who pointed to the strong Australian dollar, competitive finance rates and better vehicles as the driver for the sales.

He also said private buyers had returned to the market following the cooling brought about by economic uncertainty during the global financial crisis.

"Consumers benefitted from the halving of the tariff on imported vehicles on 1 January 2010 ... new vehicle affordability in Australia is at record levels. Put simply, you are getting more car for less money."

The FCAI is predicting modest sales growth of between 1 and 2 per cent for new-vehicle sales in 2011 with an official forecast of 1,050,000 vehicles.

However that would still eclipse the 2007 sales record, albeit by just 18 vehicles.

"It is a cautious but optimistic outlook for new vehicle sales," said McKellar, who believes the market is a strong chance to break the record.

But it was once again a bad year for large cars - most of which are produced in Australia in the form of the Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon and Toyota Aurion - that have been in a decade long sales decline. Large cars dropped 3.1 per cent despite the buoyancy of the overall market.

However, there was still reason to celebrate for Holden with the Commodore continuing its dominance as the best-selling vehicle for the 15th straight year.

Australians bought 45,956 Commodores, inching out the Toyota Corolla (41,632), Toyota Hilux (39,896) and Mazda3 (39,003) for top-selling status.

Despite the closing of the gap between the Commodore and other vehicles - and between large cars and smaller ones - Devereux stipulated Holden's commitment to ensuring the quintessential large car remained a best-seller.

"Commodore really resonates with Australians drivers, as it offers outstanding quality and value for money," said Devereux. "It's our intention for Commodore to be the country's top-selling car for many years to come - we'll do this by continually improving the vehicle to ensure it remains relevant for Australian motorists."

Luxury car sales were also strong, with many brands experiencing big percentage growths.

Lamborghini sold another 19 cars in 2010 compared with 2009, representing a 73 per cent increase. Ferrari sales were up by 21 per cent, while Rolls-Royce increased by a monumental 178 per cent.

Even mainstream luxury brands such as Mercedes-Benz (up 17.5 per cent) and Audi (up 14.1 per cent) increased, although BMW dropped market share posting gains of 5.2 per cent.

Despite a string of embarrassing recalls Toyota was the best selling brand for the eight consecutive year, retailing 214,718 vehicles, more than 80,000 ahead of second-placed Holden (132,923).

Toyota Australia senior executive director sales and marketing David Buttner said internal monitoring "did see some diminution" of the five KPIs the brand regularly monitors due to the recalls that were largely confined to overseas markets.

"The brand has been quite resilient," said Buttner, who added "I wouldn't say it cost us sales but it may have made some people hesitate [about buying a Toyota]".

Toyota dominated in eight of the 17 vehicle categories, led by some price repositioning and model updates that brought more value.

"Thanks to the support of the buying public Toyota is number one in passenger cars," said Buttner, who says being number one is "extremely important".

"It sells the most number of sport utility vehicles [4WDs and SUVs]. For each of those part 32 years Toyota has sold more commercial vehicles that any of our rivals."

At one stage the market was on track for even stronger sales figures, with sales up 14.5 per cent in the first nine months of the year.

However, growth slowed in the fourth quarter and the December sales figures were down a modest 2.4 per cent on the back of a rush to take advantages of attractive government incentives that ended in December 2009.

December was the only month of 2010 where new car sales didn't exceed those for the corresponding month in 2009.

[vztrt]

VFACTS: Million motor market - and more to come

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...25780F0012FFA9

Sales record tipped for 2011 after Aussie car market hits top gear in 2010

6 January 2011

By RON HAMMERTON

AUSTRALIA'S motor market blasted back through the million-vehicle barrier with a 10.5 per cent sales rise last year – and is tipped to go even higher in 2011.

Shaking off remnants of the global financial crisis, car companies registered 1.035 million vehicles in 2010, up from 937,000 in 2009, making 2010 the second best sales year in automotive history.

Some pundits believe there is a strong chance the market could crack a record 1.05 million units this year - barring another economic hiccup - bettering the previous record of 1.049 million units in 2008.

That would take the Australian new-vehicle market above a million units for the third time in four years.

Official VFACTS figures released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) show private buyers re-entered the market in a big way in 2010, with sports utility vehicles (SUVs) their preferred weapon of choice.

SUV sales leaped 25 per cent in 2010, with the compact variety rocketing up 36.6 per cent.

More than one in every five vehicles sold in Australia in 2010 was an SUV, with sales of the versatile vehicles surpassing 200,000 units for the first time. Total SUV sales hit 235,285 units – up from 188,153 vehicles in 2009.

Passenger cars enjoyed a sales lift of 9.5 per cent, to 592,122, in the 12 months to December 31, but light commercial vehicle sales fell by 0.8 per cent, mainly as a result of a sales hangover from government business tax incentives that boosted sales in 2009.

Mazda, Hyundai, Subaru, Volkswagen and BMW were among the companies claiming full-year sales records, as importers made plenty of hay in the $A exchange rate sunshine.

Toyota was the sales champion for the eighth consecutive year, riding both the SUV boom and renewed interest in its locally made Camry with its hybrid version.

Toyota again achieved more than 200,000 sales, coming in at 214,718 – up 6.8 per cent on last year but short of its 238,983 sales in 2008.

However, Toyota’s market share slipped slightly, from 21.4 per cent in 2009 to 20.7 per cent last year, in the face of hot market action from rivals.

Toyota Australia’s senior executive director of sales and marketing, David Buttner, blamed Toyota’s lack of new-model activity for its market share slip in 2010, adding that the company was about to enter a major new-model cycle that he believed would help to push Toyota towards its long-term goal of 25 per cent market share.

Toyota topped the small car, medium car, SUV and light truck segments, with its Corolla, Camry, Prado and HiLux leading the way.

Holden again achieved second place in the market, becoming the only local manufacturer to exceed the average market growth by lifting its sales 11.2 per cent to 132,923 units.

Holden was buoyed by a big rise in popularity of its Korean imports, especially the Cruze small car, sales of which soared 125 per cent over 2009 when the model was still being established in Australia.

As well, sales of the Captiva SUV jumped by more than 4000 units, to 15,511 vehicles, making it the second best-selling SUV behind Toyota’s Prado.

Holden’s local hero, the Commodore, experienced a 3.5 per cent lift in sales, to 45,596 vehicles, as it grabbed the top-selling car crown for the 15th successive year.

Rival Ford was the only top-three player to record a fall in both sales volume and market share, with sales falling by 1.3 per cent, from 96,501 units in 2009 to 95,284 last year.

Ford’s share dived more than one percentage point, to 9.2 per cent, slipping below 10 per cent on an annual basis for the first time in memory.

While Holden’s Commodore large car was up, Ford’s Falcon took a hit, down 4.9 per cent to 29,516 vehicles.

To rub salt into the wound, the Commodore outsold the Falcon two to one in December, with the big Holden taking half of the large car segment.

The once-dominant Falcon has now slipped to sixth on the list of top-selling vehicles in Australia, behind Hyundai’s i30 small car and not that much in front of Holden’s Cruze, which will be built locally from early 2011.

Former Ford subsidiary Mazda is now just one percentage point behind Ford, sitting in fourth spot on 8.2 per cent market share.

However, while Mazda’s sales volume grew 9.1 per cent to a record 84,777 units, its share slipped a smidgeon from 2009’s 8.3 per cent.

Among Mazda’s highlights were record sales of its popular Mazda3 small car and CX-7 compact SUV.

Fifth-placed Hyundai, which enjoyed the biggest sales volume rise of any major company, garnered a company record 80,038 sales – up a massive 26.6 per cent on 2009’s result.

Its biggest volume growth contributor was the i30 (29,772), which came third in the small-car class behind the long-standing leader, the Toyota Corolla (41,632), which was itself runner-up to the Commodore for overall sales honours, and the Mazda3.

Sixth-placed Nissan came home with a wet sail in 2009, thanks to the arrival of its new Micra light car which helped to lift Nissan sales by a healthy 18.5 per cent, to 62,676 units.

In doing so, Nissan tipped Mitsubishi back to seventh place by the barest of margins – just 180 vehicles.

However, Mitsubishi can take solace from its 9.6 per cent sales rise, to 62,496 units.

Like Toyota, most of Mitsubishi’s growth came from its strong SUV range, led by the venerable Pajero, sales of which soared 32.5 per cent.

Like Ford, Honda suffered a dive in both volume and share in 2010, despite a 40 per cent rise in sales of its CR-V compact SUV.

Honda sales slipped 2.6 per cent, to 40,375 units, but the Japanese importer managed to hang on to eighth place by the margin of just 350 vehicles from Subaru (40,025).

Both were accorded a market share of 3.9 per cent.

However, both of these companies will be feeling the hot breath of German rival Volkswagen on the back of their necks after VW lifted its sales by 26.4 per cent in 2010, to 38,016 units.

Sales of the new Polo rocketed 127.6 per cent on the arrival of the all-new model last year, while Golf and Tiguan also increased their penetration.

With VW’s new ute set for imminent release, the company is poised for further gains in 2011.

Announcing the 2010 sales data, FCAI executive director Andrew McKellar described the result as an exception outcome, given the challenges of higher interest rates, political uncertainly and withdrawal of federal government market stimulus at the end of 2009.

“Despite all these influences, the industry has achieved its second highest result on record and achieved more than one-million sales for the third time ever,” he said.

“This is an outcome worth celebrating.

“New-vehicle sales continually outperformed other economic indicators for retail spending and business investment throughout the year.”

Mr McKellar predicted the bull run in the car market would continue, tipping a 2011 tally of 1.05 million vehicles.

“It is a cautious but optimistic outlook for new vehicle sales,” he said.

“On this basis, we could be in for a record year.”

Toyota’s Mr Buttner was a little more caution, predicting a similar 1.035 million market, but added that Mr McKellar’s prediction could be achieved.

2010 top car companies:
Brand Sales Movement Share
Toyota 214,718 +6.8% 20.7%
Holden 132,923 +11.2% 12.8%
Ford 95,284 -1.3% 9.2%
Mazda 84,777 +9.1% 8.2%
Hyundai 80,038 +26.6% 7.7%
Nissan 62,676 +18.5% 6.0%
Mitsubishi 62,496 +9.6% 6.0%
Honda 40,375 -2.6% 3.9%
Subaru 40,025 +9.6% 3.9%
Volkswagen 38,016 +26.4% 3.7%