New vehicle sales report – February 2011

You can tell it’s not been a great month for new vehicle sales when less than a handful of companies issue press releases. That’s certainly been the case with February’s sales, which fell 1.6% on 2010 numbers.

FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar is talking things up, though, claiming private buyers are out in force, “Sales to private customers increased 4.1 per cent during February to total 39,776 units—outselling business and fleet purchases. This is an encouraging indicator of the market and reflects a strong level of economic confidence.”

Toyota, Holden and Mazda retain their positions as the top three selling marques.

Private Buyers Lead The Charge In New Vehicle Sales

Official VFACTS data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) shows that 80,896 passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles were sold in February (down 1.6 per cent or 1,323 vehicles compared to the same month in 2010).

“This is a solid result reflecting the strong underlying demand for new vehicles,” FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar said.

“Sales to private customers increased 4.1 per cent during February to total 39,776 units – outselling business and fleet purchases,” he said.

“This is an encouraging indicator of the market and reflects a strong level of economic confidence,” he said.

“Sales in Queensland have recovered slightly and we expect further growth in that state in the coming months as people replace their damaged vehicle,” he said.

Toyota was the best performing brand in January selling 14,604 vehicles, followed by Holden with 10,314 and then Mazda with 7,644.

 

Cruze And Commodore – Holden’s Dynamic Duo

• Continuing Cruze sales success
• Cruze local production kicks off in March
• Commodore again Australia’s top-selling vehicle

Hot on the heels of the unveiling of the new Australian-made Series II Cruze, Holden’s popular small sedan continues to impress Australian motorists, recording its highest ever February sales figure.

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) report Holden sold 2,582 Cruze vehicles in February – an increase of 24.4 per cent on the same month last year, making it the sixth best-selling vehicle in the country.

Holden Executive Director, Sales, Marketing and Aftersales, John Elsworth, said the new locally-made Series II Cruze being built at Holden’s Vehicle Operations (HVO) in Elizabeth, South Australia, would make Cruze even more appealing to Australian car-buyers.

“We revealed the new Australian-made Series II Cruze range at HVO for the first time this week,” Mr Elsworth said.

“The current Cruze range has been a huge success for Holden and the new Series II, featuring an expanded model line-up with new powertrains and great styling, is due in showrooms towards the end of the month.

“With the new 1.4iTi and extremely efficient 2.0 litre turbo diesel engines we expect Cruze to go from strength to strength,” he said.

Meanwhile, Holden’s frontrunner, Commodore, sold 3,829 vehicles in February to be the country’s highest-selling vehicle, accounting for 58 per cent of the large car segment.

The winning combination of Cruze and Commodore contributed to overall Holden sales of 10,314 new vehicles for the month with market share of 12.7 per cent.

“While these vehicles sit at different ends of the market, they possess many of the same qualities, including a winning mix of style and substance, along with excellent value for money,” Mr Elsworth said.

“We are very proud to have both of these models rolling off our South Australian production line and sitting side by side in showrooms in the coming weeks.”

 

iLoad Pulling Its Weight For Hyundai

Hyundai’s multi-award winning iLoad range continues its assault on the commercial van segment ranking first with a sales result of 491 units and achieving a market share of 30%. i30, Getz and iMax all ranked second in their respective segments.

Hyundai Motor Company Australia (HMCA) also posted its second best February sales result ever since the brand was introduced to Australia in 1986. Total vehicle sales of 6,607 saw an increase of 3.1 % over January 2011, with a total market share of 8.2% ranking HMCA fifth in total sales.

In passenger car sales, HMCA ranked fourth for the month with 4,985 vehicles sold representing an increase of 1.9% over January 2011 and a market share of 11%.

Overseas, Hyundai Motor Company’s global sales increased +12.1% (February 2011 versus February 2010) to 281,292 units.

Hyundai Motor America (HMA) February sales increased to 43,533 units, up 28% versus the same period in 2010.

“HMCA continues its steady growth in 2011,” said Damien Meredith, Director of Sales Hyundai Motor Company Australia. “With Hyundai models faring well in all segments this February and the announcement of the introductions of the compact sedan, codenamed MD and Veloster in the second half of this year – 2011 sales are looking positive.”

Hyundai’s Australian highlights include:

• Getz ranked second in the light car segment after posting a sales result of 1,456 units and a 13.6% market share.
• i30 ranked second in the light car segment achieving 2,654 vehicle sales and a 13.7% market share.
• iMax ranked second in the people mover segment achieving 138 vehicle sales and a 15.7% market share.
• ix35 ranked fourth in the compact SUV segment after posting a sales result of 795 units and a 8.5% market share.
• iLoad ranked first in the vans segment after posting a sales result of 491 units and a market share of 30%.

 

February Record For Impreza And Forester

Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive sales of 3299 vehicles last month included a February record of 1320 Imprezas and 1221 Foresters, according to official VFACTS figures released today.

Impreza sales were 84.4 per cent up on the same month last year and 94.1 per cent year-to-date (YTD).

Forester was the best selling Compact SUV in February, with sales up 22.0 per cent for the month.

Subaru’s market share for the month was 4.1 per cent and 4.4 per cent YTD.

Nick Senior, Managing Director, Subaru Australia said: “We’re delighted with the response to our newer models, including the revised Forester range and the WRX and WRX STI line-up, which was refreshed late last year.”

The Subaru result was rounded out by sales of 346 Libertys, 335 Outbacks and 77 Tribecas.

 

TOYOTA EXPANDS SALES LEAD IN 2011

Toyota has expanded its lead in new-vehicle sales this year to more than 10,000 cars and trucks after just two months.

The latest figures, released today, show Toyota’s market-leading performances in January and February have placed it further ahead of its nearest rival than at the same stage last year.

Toyota’s February total of 14,604 new-vehicle deliveries was more than 40 per cent higher than any other company’s sales.

Camry is Australia’s best-selling mid-size car for the month and the year so far. Other vehicles topping their segments in February and the first two months of 2011 are LandCruiser Prado, LandCruiser 200 Series wagon, HiLux 4×2 and HiAce commuter bus.

Toyota Australia’s senior executive director sales and marketing David Buttner said Toyota’s key advantages are its broad model line-up, the introduction of new models such as the upcoming FJ Cruiser, an extensive dealer network and value-for-money offers.

“On-going customer demand for Toyota cars, SUVs and light-commercial vehicles is strong with our order bank growing by 1,000 units last month,” Mr Buttner said.

“We expected Corolla and Yaris sales in February to come off their recent highs following the end of extremely successful low-interest offers on Corolla Ascent and Yaris YR five-door hatches.

“We are now offering finance at just 3.9 per cent comparison rate* across all Yaris and 4.9 per cent comparison rate* across all Corolla, which can help customers substantially reduce the cost of ownership.”

Toyota’s FJ Cruiser – the company’s fifth SUV and the latest member of the LandCruiser family – officially goes on sale at the end of March.