|
By
EWAN KENNEDY
9 January 2012
Sales of new vehicles in Australia during 2011
reflected the tumultuous world events of the year. The terrible
Japanese tsunami and Thai floods seriously interrupted supplies of
vehicles, and bad economic news from Europe created a drop in
confidence in buyers.
Yet, in a very Australian manner, the new vehicle market bounced
back. Despite a slow first half of the year, total sales were over
a million yet again – at 1,008,437.
We are not back to the boom times of 2007, when sales reached
1,049,982, but are a lot closer than had been anticipated.
The biggest shock was that an imported car was the best selling
vehicle in Australia for the first time ever (at least since car
manufacture began here seriously in the second decade of the last
century). The Japanese built Mazda3 pipped the Aussie Holden
Commodore at the post with sales of 41,429 compared with
Commodore’s 40,617.
This indicates the change in buyer preference from large cars to
compact SUVs and small cars. A move that shows no sign of slowing.
Ford Falcon’s sales were disastrous, only 18,741 moved into
buyers’ hands. Falcon was in ninth place overall, a far cry from
the days when it was the best seller for many years. On a positive
note Ford Territory is taking advantage of buyer preference for
SUVs and the introduction of diesel engine and the facelift of the
complete range saw an upsurge in Territory sales. The new Falcon
LPG car is a beauty and may help to lift the model out of the
doldrums.
Toyota was number one overall in Australia for the ninth year
running, with 18.0 per cent of all vehicle sales, this was well
down on 2010’s 20.7% due to supply problems. Holden was a
distant second with 12.5%, Ford scored 9.0%, just a whisker above
Mazda’s 8.8%, with Hyundai nipping at their heels by selling
8.6%.
The biggest improver among the major players was Volkswagen which
climbed from 3.7% in 2010 to 4.4% last year, and the German giant
shows no sign of slackening its sales pace.
Toyota, yet again won the sales race easily – yet failed to have
the top selling car in Australia. These guys must be frustrated by
this fact but won’t admit it, simply pointing out their strength
is the breadth of product on offer. A point that’s backed up by
Toyota having three vehicles in the Aussie top 10 – HiLux,
Corolla and Camry.
Toyota Corolla was top seller in five months of 2011, including
the final four months of the year when the effects of the tsunami
started to fade. The Australian branch of the company may be
regretting the decision to discontinue manufacture of Corolla in
Melbourne in 2000, choosing instead to have a stab at the family
six-cylinder market with the Avalon and then the Aurion. We feel
Corolla would have been a runaway number one in Australia in 2011
if it was made here – Ah, the benefit of hindsight!
On the other hand, Toyota Camry and Camry V6 (the latter called
the Aurion in Australia) are being sold in large numbers overseas
and bringing in valuable export dollars.
Ford Australia may also be ruing its decision to not build its
Focus small car in Melbourne, after announcing at one stage that
it was going to do so.
Holden must be smiling all the way to the bank by opting to again
make small cars here. Cruze sales are leaping ahead following the
introduction of the hatchback to complement the sedan only weeks
before the end of 2011.
May we predict that the Holden Cruze will be the top seller
overall in Australia in 2012? Without sounding too parochial it
would be nice to see a locally-built car holding that prestigious
position.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
|
|
