April vehicle sales

[bobthebilda]

Figures for April. Large cars sales were 5856 a huge drop from same time last year of 7723. 4x2 Ute sales 4057 compared to last years 4701. SUV medium 5557 compared to April 2010 of 6903. The whole market was down nearly 10% from same time last year. The only real winners were SUV luxury and Ute 4x4

[mcnews]

Holden PR

----

Holden’s Local Heroes Do It Again

* Commodore number one in April
* Cruze number two small car in April

Holden’s local heroes, the iconic Commodore and increasingly popular Cruze small car, have finished first and fourth in the April sales race.

According to official figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries today, Commodore was the number one selling vehicle in April with 3,075 units sold, accounting for 55.6 per cent of the large car segment.

The Holden Cruze star continued to rise in April as the first Australian-built Series II models were delivered to customers. Cruze complemented Commodore’s winning month with 2,582 sales, making it Australia’s fourth highest-selling vehicle and number two in the small car segment.

Customers have responded well to the combined benefits of fuel economy and punchy performance from the new 1.4 iTi Cruze, with strong demand expected to drive great results this year.

Increased supply of the new Series II Captiva range contributed to strong April sales of Captiva 7 (752 units), placing it third in the medium SUV segment.

Holden Executive Director of Sales, Marketing and Aftersales John Elsworth said Holden was well placed in the growing small car and compact SUV segments.

“We’ve responded to an extremely competitive market by broadening the appeal of core models like Commodore, Captiva and Cruze with a choice of fuel-efficient powertrains, a higher level of overall refinement and more clever features,” he said.

“Commodore remains the dominant force in the large car market and we’ve increased our share to 56.9 per cent year-to-date.

“Holden’s product renaissance over the coming 12 months is only going to strengthen the brand with the introduction of exciting new models like the next-generation Barina and all-new locally designed Cruze hatch just over the horizon.”

Australians purchased a total of 9,113 new Holden vehicles in April, giving Holden a 12.3 per cent market share and 38,628 year-to-date sales.

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by 1TUFFUTE

put it this way...how many times over the years..and recently have you seen in mag comparoes the holden breaks down. I can remember half a dozen times and onle once for a falcon and im sure it was a burnt out clutch...not a pump or electrical shutdown like in the comadores.

These cars are all built to a price hence will always have problems. People know that.

They may be built to a price but there are cheaper cars out there that offer better value and better quality.
Offering average quality and using the "built to a price" excuse is quite poor.
Of course we do not expect the quality of materials offered in a RR or S-class, etc but I would expect far better than what is on offer right now.

[Polyal]

The iconic commodore, it makes me want to puke. Even in their own PR they spew filth.

[mcnews]

Originally Posted by Polyal

The iconic commodore, it makes me want to puke. Even in their own PR they spew filth.

LOL, that made me larf :-)

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by mcnews

LOL, that made me larf :-)

I aim to please.

But the horrible truth is thats the difference, Holden is a brand machine and even their own troops are not safe.

I can envisage them every monday morning lining up out on the docks in Melb and chanting eery hymns...down the corridors of HQ stand brass monuments to Brocky, Scaife, Mike Simcoe and Obama.

[csv8]

As I have said before, the FG2 had better be really good. Or Falcon is sadly doomed..The FG2 needs to look very different to FG1 and have much more kit .Now flame me Road Warrior!!!!

[mcnews]

I think you are right, and unless FPV have something special up their sleeve they are doomed well before Ford. The new V8 they invested the life savings in is just not selling. There has to be some dramatic things happen or Falcon is not going to last the next 18 months. This LPI car needs to have the biggest marketing push/spend Ford have ever made in order to save Falcon, I think it is really the only immediate hope for a pick up.

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by The G6ET Spot

The thing that struck him was that when the salesman opened the bonnet all the engine block was rusty and even the bellhousing.

They need a bigger engine cover so you can't see it from above AT ALL! seriously is saving 50 buck worth loosing a sale? i mean even if they painted it a rust colour so you couldn't tell if it peeled off?
"that's not rust, it's the colour they paint it at the factory"

[banarcus]

Consumers want value for money, local car enthusiasts included. Also the whole dealer experience has influence on buyer attitudes.

The other weekend, my wife and I went for a look at a new GT and a new Clubsport. I wanted to have a look at a GS but the dealer didn't have any but had a fully optioned GT. Sitting inside, I was disappointed. It wasn't much different to the XTs that I used to drive. It looked the same as a car much cheaper. My wife didn't like it either. The fact that a rookie sales girl came over and couldn't provide any details shows that FPV rely on the car to sell itself .

We then went to the HSV dealer. We walked to the showroom and had a look at an R8. The salesman knew his product well and sat us inside the car and showed and explained the fruit to us. I was impressed with the seats and Holden IQ system, standard sat nav and rear view camera as well. My wife likes it because she loves Holdens. You can see the difference between an Omega or an SS with the HSVs. I could see the difference.

There just isn't enough difference between the XT and GT in the interior. Basically looks the same. It has a ball tearer for an engine but that is it. That is from a car enthusiasts perspective.

I simply couldn't see the value in the GT compared to a Clubsport. Ford and FPV cannot expect their cars to sell by themselves.

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by csv8

As I have said before, the FG2 had better be really good. Or Falcon is sadly doomed..The FG2 needs to look very different to FG1 and have much more kit .Now flame me Road Warrior!!!!

i agree, it needs to be the absolute best in class to make a dent in the sales race

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by banarcus

Consumers want value for money, local car enthusiasts included. Also the whole dealer experience has influence on buyer attitudes.

The other weekend, my wife and I went for a look at a new GT and a new Clubsport. I wanted to have a look at a GS but the dealer didn't have any but had a fully optioned GT. Sitting inside, I was disappointed. It wasn't much different to the XTs that I used to drive. It looked the same as a car much cheaper. My wife didn't like it either. The fact that a rookie sales girl came over and couldn't provide any details shows that FPV rely on the car to sell itself .

We then went to the HSV dealer. We walked to the showroom and had a look at an R8. The salesman knew his product well and sat us inside the car and showed and explained the fruit to us. I was impressed with the seats and Holden IQ system, standard sat nav and rear view camera as well. My wife likes it because she loves Holdens. You can see the difference between an Omega or an SS with the HSVs. I could see the difference.

There just isn't enough difference between the XT and GT in the interior. Basically looks the same. It has a ball tearer for an engine but that is it. That is from a car enthusiasts perspective.

I simply couldn't see the value in the GT compared to a Clubsport. Ford and FPV cannot expect their cars to sell by themselves.

Simply put FPV have an engine which they invested everything into for FG and the euro update. I reckon if it wasnt for euro then the 5.4 would still be there until FG2.

But what happened happened and now FPV have no excuses with FG2.

I agree, that the HSV package is better overall. People can bang on all day about the 5.0 but its only part of the equation.

[stevz]

Originally Posted by Polyal

The iconic commodore, it makes me want to puke. Even in their own PR they spew filth.

Lighten up will you, your silly one-eyed rants are getting tiring.
I don't see that they've said anything wrong there. The Commodore, like the Falcon, IS an icon whether you like it or not.
Maybe Ford should be taking lessons from Holden's PR team. If they did, they probably wouldn't be in the predicament they are in now.

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by stevz

Lighten up will you, your silly one-eyed rants are getting tiring.
I don't see that they've said anything wrong there. The Commodore, like the Falcon, IS an icon whether you like it or not.
Maybe Ford should be taking lessons from Holden's PR team. If they did, they probably wouldn't be in the predicament they are in now.

Nice try troll, post #66, I acknowledged that.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by csv8

As I have said before, the FG2 had better be really good. Or Falcon is sadly doomed..The FG2 needs to look very different to FG1 and have much more kit .Now flame me Road Warrior!!!!

I'm not going to flame you...I agree. Apart from it needing to look drastically different, they can toughen the look of the car and still not do a lot to it.

[Brazen]

Wonder how the utes are selling?

Hopefully we will see a boost when LPG come on board. Great time to finess the ute range at FG2, bring in some variants or options.

Cruze should start to pick up now, as of April 11 its now a Tier 1 Commonwealth car - meaning there has to be exceptional circumstances and approval from Canberra for any department to buy/lease any of its competitors. Previously departments could pick out of a Corolla, Focus or imported Cruze. Hatch coming on later this year should also boost numbers.

Territory should get a real boost with deliveries in May, should be quite successful going by its very positive reviews.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Wonder how the utes are selling?

Hopefully we will see a boost when LPG come on board. Great time to finess the ute range at FG2, bring in some variants or options.

Cruze should start to pick up now, as of April 11 its now a Tier 1 Commonwealth car - meaning there has to be exceptional circumstances and approval from Canberra for any department to buy/lease any of its competitors. Previously departments could pick out of a Corolla, Focus or imported Cruze. Hatch coming on later this year should also boost numbers.

Territory should get a real boost with deliveries in May, should be quite successful going by its very positive reviews.

So the Government are basically saying, all we buy now is Cruze? Not only did they inject money into Holden to make this project happen, but now they (the biggest fleet in the country) are going to buy Cruze only??

Maybe Ford should have built Focus here and taken the governments money!!

[MrZ]

Originally Posted by Sezzy

Here you say they have stupid design flaws...
Explain Hyundai...those cars were always pieces of snot...up until the i30, where they somehow became popular...the only benefit they had was being

I'd have to disagree with you there mate. The i30 came out here in 2007, but Hyundai had changed their game well before then. In my opinion (and many others), it was the 2005 NF Sonata that really brought Hyundai into the 21st century and allowed it to finally catch up to it's competition.

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by DASH GT

So the Government are basically saying, all we buy now is Cruze? Not only did they inject money into Holden to make this project happen, but now they (the biggest fleet in the country) are going to buy Cruze only??

Maybe Ford should have built Focus here and taken the governments money!!

Yeah, basically anything Australian made is on the list.

Previously if you wanted a car under 2.4 litres, you were allowed to purchase a Tier 2 car (imported but from a local manufacturer, e.g. Corolla, Focus, Astra/Cruze and previously Lancer).


Falcon and Territory are Tier 1 as well, so they benefit. The problem is a lot of departments can save money by going smaller, so if they want to downsize they can only go Cruze (unless there are exceptional circumstances).

[Road_Warrior]

EDIT: nvm

I wonder how that CD4 production at Broady is shaping up...

[MrZ]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Wonder how the utes are selling?

Cruze should start to pick up now, as of April 11 its now a Tier 1 Commonwealth car - meaning there has to be exceptional circumstances and approval from Canberra for any department to buy/lease any of its competitors. Previously departments could pick out of a Corolla, Focus or imported Cruze. Hatch coming on later this year should also boost numbers.

Oh wow, Corolla is really going to hurt. It was the top small car choice with govt. fleets, accounting for around 10% of it's sales.

Funny that Lancer used to be allowed, back when Mitsubishi was still making cars here. Strange though, because govt. fleets were also buying Nissan Pulsars back in 2005?

[Polyal]

So DASH, as a numbers man, if the LPi falcon is tier one, offers more space and practicality and costs the same (maybe a smidge less) to run then what car would you choose as a fleet controller?

I hope the LPi ute can get back some of the hilux diesel sales (I assume)...maybe they went diesel because of the running costs, not so much clearance etc.

Honestly, local councils around me seem to have only hilux's now as utes.

Brazen, how did you find that info on the Tiers?

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by DASH GT

So the Government are basically saying, all we buy now is Cruze? Not only did they inject money into Holden to make this project happen, but now they (the biggest fleet in the country) are going to buy Cruze only??

Maybe Ford should have built Focus here and taken the governments money!!

Sorry Dash I didnt make it clear, if a department wants a car under 2.4 litres, they can only choose a Cruze unless exceptional circumstances or operational requirments (e.g. maybe needing a wagon would disqualify the Cruze).

In the past we didnt make small cars so the govt allowed departments to pick Corolla, Focus or imported Cruze under the Tier 2 rules (i.e. where no Australian made vehicle exists)

However all other local cars can still be picked. Falcon, Territory, Camry etc.

[MrZ]

Originally Posted by bobthebilda

Figures for April. Large cars sales were 5856 a huge drop from same time last year of 7723. 4x2 Ute sales 4057 compared to last years 4701. SUV medium 5557 compared to April 2010 of 6903. The whole market was down nearly 10% from same time last year. The only real winners were SUV luxury and Ute 4x4

I cringe whenever I hear the "large" car segment mentioned. Basically there are only 2 vehicles in the segment - Falcon and Commodore (arguably you could include Accord). Everything else is mid-size - this including Aurion and Maxima. Aurion *especially* is a mid-size because it's 99% identical to Camry. A V6 engine does not make a car any larger.

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by Polyal

So DASH, as a numbers man, if the LPi falcon is tier one, offers more space and practicality and costs the same (maybe a smidge less) to run then what car would you choose as a fleet controller?

I hope the LPi ute can get back some of the hilux diesel sales (I assume)...maybe they went diesel because of the running costs, not so much clearance etc.

Honestly, local councils around me seem to have only hilux's now as utes.

Brazen, how did you find that info on the Tiers?

My wife's department are replacing their fleet of Corollas due to this with Cruze, she works in the procurement side of things and knows this well. Its public information so im sure its on the web somewhere.

This is only Commonwealth govt policy. States and other fleets have their own rules, and I think the states would buy a lot more cars as they are more in service delivery.

the policy is positive for Ford as well, as it forces departments to keep to Australian where possible so Falcon and Territory win from it. Again this is commonwealth and not states.

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by Brazen

My wife's department are replacing their fleet of Corollas due to this with Cruze, she works in the procurement side of things and knows this well. Its public information so im sure its on the web somewhere.

This is only Commonwealth govt policy. States and other fleets have their own rules, and I think the states would buy a lot more cars as they are more in service delivery.

Oh I love an insider....do you know what their general thoughts are on the Lpi Falcon?

As above, if it offers the same and more above the cruze and corolla and costs the same to run then it seems like someone is trying pretty hard to not buy them?

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by Davez621

Funny that Lancer used to be allowed, back when Mitsubishi was still making cars here. Strange though, because govt. fleets were also buying Nissan Pulsars back in 2005?

If the pulsar was Commonwealth then it may have been that the buy Australian rules have only really tightened in the last 12 months. I know the ATO had Xtrails and Foresters in some offices, these have been replaced with Territorys lately.

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by Polyal

Oh I love an insider....do you know what their general thoughts are on the Lpi Falcon?

As above, if it offers the same and more above the cruze and corolla and costs the same to run then it seems like someone is trying pretty hard to not buy them?

My guess is as good as yours. Wife doesnt deal with choosing cars she just deals with the paperwork. A lot more others on here would know what goes on in the decision-maker heads.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by Polyal

Oh I love an insider....do you know what their general thoughts are on the Lpi Falcon?

Our Department had egas Falcons for a time but they were cycled out because of LPG coverage issues (my Department does a lot of travelling to regional areas where LPG coverage is patchy). I can't see this changing - Ecoboost has a greater chance with government fleets IMO.

[Brazen]

Some numbers

http://www.carpoint.com.au/news/2011...vacation-24700

The top ten selling cars for the month were:

Holden Commodore (3075),
Mazda3 (3044),
Toyota Hilux (2889),
Holden Cruze (2582),
Hyundai i30 (2531),
Toyota Corolla (2458),
Mitsubishi Triton (1840),
Hyundai Getz (1717),
Toyota Camry (1577),
Mitsubishi Lancer (1468).