New vehicle sales report – August 2010

Official VFACTS data released by the FCAI states 82,122 new vehicles were sold in August, up 12.1% on the same month in 2009. Toyota, Holden and Ford retain the top-three positions on the sales charts.

Press releases from FCAI and various manufacturers are available after the break.

SUV Sales Drive New Car Market Higher In August

Official VFACTS data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) showed that 82,122 passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles were sold in August, up 12.1 per cent (or 8,835 vehicles) on the same month in 2009.

“This is a strong August result with sales of SUVs showing a particularly healthy increase,” FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar said.

“The figures show sales to private buyers remain solid (up 20.9%) and there has been a lift in new car purchases by government fleets (up 21.7%),” Mr McKellar said.

“There is no evidence in the August data to suggest customers were distracted from their normal buying habits due to the election and the current political uncertainty,” he said.

The SUV segment was the strongest performer during August, recording an increase of 32.5 per cent; followed by light commercials (up 22.6 per cent) and then passenger cars (up 3.5 per cent).

Toyota was the top selling marque in August with 16,633 sales; followed by Holden with 11,146, then Ford with 8,212 units.

Year-to-date, 695,666 vehicles have been sold, an increase of 15.2 per cent compared to the same period in 2009.

Commodore on top, as Series II makes its mark

• Commodore Australia’s top-selling car once again
• Series II to further strengthen Commodore sales
• Cruze sales continue to grow, ahead of local manufacture

With VE Series II hitting showrooms this month, Commodore has continued its reign as Australia’s favourite car, selling 3674 units in August, up 10.4 per cent on same month last year.

According to figures released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, Commodore contributed to Holden’s total sales of 11,146 vehicles for the month of August up 17.3 per cent from the same month last year, taking market share to 13 per cent for the year.

Holden’s Executive Director, Sales, Marketing and Aftersales, John Elsworth, said the strong sales pointed to continuing success of Australia’s newest Commodore range being released this month.

“With VE Series II unveiled this week, we’ve taken Australia’s most popular car and made it even better – introducing clever multimedia technology and improved fuel economy,” Mr Elsworth said.

“We’ve also added flex-fuel capability to models powered by the 3.0 litre SIDI V6 and 6.0 litre V8 engines, enabling them to run either on petrol or Bio-ethanol.

“We think customers will be really impressed by our new range which boasts a 6.5 inch full-colour LCD touch screen with full Bluetooth®, USB, iPod® and MP3 integration all the way from Omega to Caprice.”

Strong Commodore sales were complemented by sales of the popular Cruze, Holden’s second best-selling carline. With 2383 vehicles sold in August and 18,965 this year, sales of this impressive small car were up 20.9 per cent on the same month last year.

“From 2011, Cruze will join its big brother Commodore, in coming off the line at Holden’s Elizabeth plant, making it the only small car made in Australia.

“The local manufacture of Holden’s best sellers is a real boost for local manufacturing in South Australia and our national automotive industry,” Mr Elsworth said.

August also saw strong Captiva sales of 1317 units, up 27.7 per cent on August last year, giving Holden its best SUV August sales on record. Barina, too, performed well, with 1325 units, up a considerable 64.8 per cent on the same month last year, and resulting in the highest August Barina sales on record.

Hyundai Motor Company Australia Posts Record August Sales

Hyundai has posted a sales result of 6,560 units, its best ever August result since the brand started selling cars in Australia in 1986, achieving a monthly market share of 8.0%.

Hyundai ranked fourth for the month (fifth August YTD) in total sales and third for the month (third August YTD) in passenger car sales.

“The team at Hyundai and the Hyundai Dealer network are delighted with the Hyundai brand’s best ever August sales result,” said Damien Meredith, Hyundai’s Director of Sales. “In August, we expanded our roadside assistance programme to include all our models and along with Hyundai’s five year / unlimited kilometre warranty, this programme will give Hyundai customers unrivalled peace of mind.”

Overseas, Hyundai Motor Company’s global sales increased +17% (August 2010 v. August 2009) to 288,313 units. Hyundai Motor America posted its best ever August retail market share result of 5.3%. Year to date, Hyundai Motor America sales are up +17% compared with 2009.

Hyundai’s Australian highlights include:

• Getz ranked first in the light car segment achieving 1,789 vehicle sales and a 15.4% market share.
• The i30 range ranked third in the small car segment achieving 2,496 vehicle sales and a 13.7% market share.
• iMax ranked second in the people mover segment, after posting a sales result of 176 units and an 18.9% market share.
• iLoad ranked second in the van segment after posting a sales result of 428 units and a 23.8% market share.

KIA Products Continue To Impress

Kia Motors Australia is continuing to demonstrate its growing impact on the Australian car market with exciting product, leading-edge styling and focussed dynamics driving exceptional sales growth.

Year-to-date sales figures of 16,182 units show a 23.8 percent jump compared to the same period last year, according to Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries VFACTS figures released today.

Kia’s impressive August figures, up 17.1 percent on the same month last year, were boosted by demand for the just-launched Sportage compact SUV.

With the benefit of a localised ride and handling flavour the new Sportage has posted a massive 159.4 percent increase in the ‘Compact SUV’ segment compared to August, 2009. The Kia Sorento was also up on the same period last year with a 48.2 percent increase in the ‘medium SUV’ segment.

The Kia Carnival continued its title as Australia’s most popular people mover capturing a massive 30.3% percent share of its segment, an increase of 48.3% percent compared to August 2009.

Tony Barlow, newly appointed Chief Operating Officer of Kia Motors Australia, said the continued sales growth was clear evidence that Kia was on an upward trend and benefitting from a renewed focus on exciting and stylish product..

“Kia’s August and year-to-date sales figures show clearly that the direction in which we are going has caught the imagination of Australian car buyers,” Mr Barlow said. “With what is yet to come there is every reason to believe that Kia will continue to excite and entice buyers.”

“The all new Sportage is just a beginning. The products we are going to introduce over the next 18 months will continue our commitment to exceptional value, great quality, uncompromising safety, new technology and a driving enjoyment tailored to the everyday Australian.”

Mazda Secures Its Best-Eever August

Mazda Australia has secured its best-ever August sales result with a total of 6,473 new passenger and commercial vehicles finding homes last month. This eclipses the previous August record set in 2007 by almost 400 units.

According to August VFACTS figures Mazda has sold 56,718 new vehicles so far this year with a market share of 8.2 percent and as a result Mazda remains Australia’s most popular full-line vehicle importer. Solid performances across the Mazda model range have helped achieve this result.

The stylish and compact Mazda3 continued to shine in August, with 2,871 sold. Mazda3 secured a 16.2 percent segment share, up 0.7 percent on the same month last year and remains the country’s best-selling small car.

August brought the next chapter in the ongoing CX-7 success story with 747 of the sleek and sporty SUVs sold for the month. This equates to an impressive increase of 215 percent over the same month last year and 162 percent year-to-date. The CX-7 has now firmly established itself as one of Australia top three selling compact SUVs this year.

Mazda6 continues to lead the way as the country’s favourite medium import with 485 sales in August putting it over 800 units ahead of its nearest import rival year-to-date.

The effervescent Mazda2 also had a strong month notching up 1,281 sales in August. Year-to-date the Mazda2 has recorded an 8.9 percent sales increase over last year.

Mazda Australia managing director, Doug Dickson, was pleased with the company’s strong performance in August.

“The foundations for a strong year for Mazda were laid in the first half of the year and we’re very pleased to see that our sales momentum has continued into the second half. After a strong July, we’ve now seen a record August result.”

“This speaks volumes for the Mazda product line-up and the fact that it continues to meet the needs of Australian car buyers.”

August Record For Subaru

Subaru achieved record August sales of 3230 vehicles, according to official VFACTS figures released today.

The result places Subaru sales 24.1 per cent ahead of last August and up 13.0 per cent Year-to-Date (YTD).

Forester was also the best-selling vehicle in Tasmania last month across all categories, with sales of 82 – up 228 per cent on last August.

It was also the best-selling vehicle in Tasmania last month across all categories, with sales of 82 – up 228 per cent on last August.

Also impressive was Outback with 448 sales nationally – 166.7 per cent up for the month and 134.7 YTD.

Liberty sales of 429 were 59.5 per cent up for the month and 55.5 per cent YTD.

Sales of 868 Imprezas and 79 Tribecas rounded out the result.

Subaru regional sales are also impressive – the brand commanded a massive 11.2 per cent of the Tasmanian market in August and 8.1 per cent YTD.

Market share in the ACT was 6.5 per cent for the month and 6.1 per cent YTD, while NSW is also performing strongly, with a 5.2 per cent share for August and 5.4 per cent YTD.

Nick Senior, Managing Director, Subaru Australia, said: “With revised WRX and WRX STI about to hit the showrooms, there continues to be significant interest in our All-Wheel Drive range.”

Another Record Month For Suzuki

Suzuki continues to rewrite the record books in 2010 with another best ever sales month keeping the company in line for another bumper year.

Suzuki had its best ever August, selling a total of 2098 cars. That represented a 35 per cent increase on the 2009 August figure against a market up 12 per cent for the same period.

Year to date, Suzuki sales are up 28 per cent, easily outstripping a market that is up 15 per cent.

The strong August figure was built on strong sales of Swift and Alto, Grand Vitara and the stunning new Kizashi mid-sized car.

Kizashi continues to win praise from customers and critics alike, and the launch of the new Sports AWD version promises even more sales for Suzuki’s first ever mid-sized car.

Kizashi’s outstanding value has been further boosted with the announcement of a unique platinum advantage program for private owners.

Available through Suzuki dealerships in all states except Queensland, the limited offer program includes free scheduled servicing for the first three years.

TOYOTA EXTENDS SALES LEAD TO 50,000 VEHICLES

Podium finishes for Toyota’s HiLux and Corolla in August have helped the company extend its sales leadership so far this year to more than 50,000 vehicles.

Toyota entered spring this week having sold more than 141,000 new cars, SUVs and light-commercial vehicles in 2010.

This puts Toyota more than 56 per cent ahead of its nearest rival, which has sold just over 90,000 vehicles.

HiLux remains Toyota’s best-selling vehicle in 2010 with almost 3,000 sales in August, lifting its 2010 total beyond 27,400.

Corolla did even better in August, topping 3,500 sales for a year-to-date total in excess of 26,000.

Other Toyota vehicles that led their respective segments in August were Camry, LandCruiser 200 Series, HiLux 4×4, HiAce van and HiAce bus.

Toyota is on track for its eighth straight year of market leadership and its seventh year in a row in which it has exceeded 200,000 sales.

The company’s vehicles have headed the sales charts in each of the past 65 months – an unbroken run stretching back to early 2005.

Toyota Australia senior executive director sales and marketing David Buttner said the results were due to Toyota’s wide range and high quality of vehicles, a customer-focused dealer network and competitive marketing offers.

“The improving economy, supported by solid business and consumer confidence, was also significant,” he said.