New vehicle sales report – June 2011

Apologies for missing last month’s update and for those keeping score Holden actually pipped Toyota to the highest selling marque for May. A result largely due to supply issues in Japan following the tsunami earlier this year. Indeed the total sales for May were 77,406 a fall of 13.2% on 2010 figures.

And so it has remained in June. Holden still holds the title of highest selling brand (12,827) just ahead of Toyota (12,514). Ford has knocked Hyundai off the ever-revolving third place position on the sales charts (9,216).

In all 96,157 vew vehicles were delivered in June, a healthy increase on May’s figures, but still down 11.6% on 2010 numbers; which was a record for single month sales.

FCAI chief executive Andrew McKellar said, “Manufacturers and distributors affected by the Japanese natural disaster are reporting a reliable return of supply. We would expect the effect to dissipate over coming months.”

Motor Vehicle Sales Fall In June

5th July, 2011

Supply constraints held June motor vehicle sales down to their lowest level in eight years, according to figures released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI).

Official VFACTS data reveals that 96,157 new vehicles were sold in June, 11.6 per cent fewer than last year’s all-time record (108,722) for the same month.

“It is clear that sales in the past month were again affected by supply constraints resulting from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami,” FCAI chief executive Andrew McKellar said.

“Manufacturers and distributors affected by the Japanese natural disaster are reporting a reliable return of supply,” he said.

“We would expect the effect to dissipate over coming months.”

Despite the constraints of recent months, 496,236 new vehicles were sold in the first half of the year, providing a fiscal year total of 1,000,642 vehicles – the fourth time the one million vehicle sales barrier has been broken in a financial year.

“Depending on the extent of the rebound in supply, we remain hopeful that total sales of more than a million vehicles are still achievable for the full year in 2011,” he said.

Mr McKellar said the impact of the recent hike in FBT on cars, announced in this year’s Federal Budget, could have a negative effect on recovery.

“Consumer demand has softened and we do have concerns that sales could be hampered as the FBT changes begin to influence demand patterns,” he said.

Locally manufactured sales outperformed the market in general in June, recording 2.2 per cent growth compared with the same period last year.

The increase is attributed to the recent commencement of sales of locally manufactured Holden Cruze.

Holden claimed market leadership for the second month in a row in June with 12,827 deliveries, ahead of Toyota with 12,514 sales and Ford with 9,216.

 

Holden Makes In Two In A Row In June

Holden led the market for the second consecutive month, according to official June VFACTS figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries today.

Holden captured 13.3 per cent of the market, selling a total of 12,827 vehicles in June, with its two-locally-produced cars leading the Holden charge. Commodore and Cruze finished the month as the second and third best-selling cars overall.

Commodore continued to dominate the large car segment with 3,809 sales in June, capturing 53.9 per cent share of the segment for the month and 57 per cent share year-to-date.

Holden’s acclaimed Cruze small car recorded its best-ever monthly sales figure with 3,387 units – almost 400 units greater than its previous best monthly result and more than 3000 units for the first time. The result made Cruze runner up in the small car segment with 14.3 per cent share.

The refreshed Series II Captiva range has given Captiva 5 sales a boost recording a new monthly sales record with 629 units in June. Captiva 7 also performed strongly, finishing the month as the second-highest selling medium SUV with 1,248 sales.

Holden Executive Director of Sales, Marketing and Aftersales John Elsworth said June was traditionally a strong selling month for the industry with multiple end of financial year promotions competing in the market.

“We’re very pleased with our June results but the market remained tough for our competitors and many are still working through issues resulting from the Japanese earthquake,” he said.

“We’re particularly happy with customer response to our special edition Thunder Ute.

“It’s been a real winner in terms of attracting renewed interest in our performance car range and has helped us record our best monthly ute sales since June 2009.

“Cruze continues to go from strength to strength and early reaction to the locally-designed Cruze hatch show car we revealed at Melbourne Motor Show reaffirms expectations that hatch will be a huge hit.

“We’re planning to finish 2011 in a strong sales position thanks to the Cruze hatch and new-generation Barina, which are two really important players in Holden’s product renaissance.”

Holden has sold 62,570 vehicles year-to-date, which is 12.6 per cent of the market.

The sporty new Barina hatch and show car versions of the Colorado light commercial vehicle and Cruze hatch are currently on display at the Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne until 10 July.
 

An All-Time Record for Hyundai

Hyundai Motor Company Australia (HMCA) has recorded its best-ever monthly sales result since HMCA was founded in September 2003. Hyundai finished in fifth position overall with 8,534 sales achieving a market share of 8.9%. The sales result saw an increase of +6% June 2011 v. June 2010 in a market which was down -12% over the same period.

In passenger car sales, HMCA ranked third for the month with 6,253 vehicles sold and a market share of 11.5%.

In another all-time record month, ix35 posted its best-ever monthly sales result since launch, with 1,162 vehicles sold. i45 ranked in third place in the medium segment with 513 sales; and the run-out Getz still achieving second position in the light car segment with 1,524 units sold. iMax finished the month with 192 units sold.

Meanwhile, the multi-award winning Hyundai iLoad van range once again placed first in the van segment with its best-ever monthly sales result since launch for both the month with 705 units sold and year-to-date with 3,265 units sold. iLoad achieved a market share of 30.3% in June.

“Hyundai’s growth in the Australian automotive market and particularly in the passenger car market demonstrates consumers’ desire for affordable, stylish, safe and quality focused vehicles,” said Damien Meredith, Director of Sales, Hyundai Motor Company Australia. “We anticipate this growth will be maintained with the upcoming launch of our all-new models, Accent and i40 Tourer over the coming few months.”

Meanwhile overseas, Hyundai Motor America (HMA) set an all-time record for the first half of the year with sales of 322,797 units, up +26.2% compared with the same record-breaking period last year. The strong sales result was again driven by the all-new Elantra and the i45 (known as Sonata in the U.S.).

Hyundai Motor Company has seen an overall increase in global sales of +12.3% rising from 313,579 in June 2010 to 352.255 in June 2011. Its domestic sales also increased by +22.9% (June 2011 v. June 2010).

Hyundai’s Australian highlights include:

• Getz ranked second in the light car segment achieving 1,524 vehicle sales and a market share of 11.6%.
  
• i30 ranked fourth in the small car segment posting a sales result of 3,197 units and 12.9% market share.
  
• i45 ranked third in the medium car segment achieving 513 vehicle sales and a market share of 7.7%.
  
• iMax ranked second in the people mover segment achieving 192 vehicle sales and a market share of 19%.
  
• ix35 ranked second in the SUV compact segment posting a sales result of 1,162 units (highest sales since launch) and a 10.6% market share.
  
• iLoad ranked first in the van segment after posting a sales result of 705 units (highest sales since launch) and a market share of 30.3%.

 

First Half “Right on Target” Says Kia Motors Australia

Kia Motors Australia has finished the first half of 2011 with healthy market share and positive sales growth in a market, which reported a 6.6% decrease in sales over the same period.

According to VFACTS results released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries today, the 12,836 new Kia vehicle sales for the first six months provided the company with 2.8% of total market share and a 3.3% increase in year to date sales.

In the passenger vehicle segment Kia held steady with a six month, 0.6% increase in a segment that experienced an 8.5% decline up to June 30.

Leading the charge for Kia was the Cerato with the all new hatch and sedan combining to produce a 65.6% increase in sales compared to the first six months of 2010.

Kia dominated ‘People Movers Under $55,000’ with Carnival representing 33% of the segment’s share while Rondo sales were up 22.1% for the year so far.

“We set a relatively ambitious business plan for 2011 and after the first six months everything is going according to plan,” said Kia Motors Australia Chief Operating Officer Tony Barlow.

“We anticipate much of the same for the second half with the exception of a Rio run-out making way for an all new 5-door hatchback which is scheduled to be unveiled late in the third quarter.”

In the competitive SUV sector better supply and continued customer support of Kia’s compact soft-roader, Sportage, saw it finish the first half of 2011 up 26.3%. The year to date figure was bolstered by a healthy June, which was 60.9% better than the same month last year.

Sorento’s sales growth of 1.9% for the first half helped Kia return sales growth of 15.3% in the SUV category, which reported a 12.5% reduction.
 

Mazda Celebrates A Jubilant June To Secure A Record First Half

Mazda Australia has recorded its best ever June sales result, posting 8,626 sales according to VFACTS figures released yesterday.

Strong sales through the first six months of 2011 have earned Mazda Australia its best ever first half, with a record 43,796 new passenger and light commercial vehicles sold year to date.

This is 2% percent better than its previous best first half recorded in 2010, ensuring that Mazda remains Australia’s favourite import brand and fourth overall.

The recently refreshed Mazda2 has continued its sales momentum, posting an outstanding all-time sales record of 1,907 units in the month of June to finish top of the light segment.

The ever-popular Mazda3 also recorded a new high, posting 4,212 sales. This figure makes the Mazda3 Australia’s best-selling car year to date and lifts the Mazda3’s segment share to an impressive 18.5%.

The rest of the Mazda range has also continued to deliver in June, helping Mazda record its best ever first half with a total of 32,902 passenger car sales and a remarkable 11.8% share of the passenger car market year to date.

Mazda Australia managing director Doug Dickson is pleased with the strong start to 2011. “We’ve seen some exceptional sales results across the whole Mazda range, particularly with Mazda2 and Mazda3. It’s been a great way to finish the first half of 2011 and with the facelift Mazda3 including the SP20 SKYACTIV model and the All-New BT-50 set for launch late this year, we expect to maintain that sales momentum throughout the second half of the year.”
 

Toyota sales to rebound in July

Toyota Australia is confident sales of its new vehicles will rebound in July and August as stock levels return to normal.

Despite a severe shortage of vehicles in June, Toyota remains the clear market leader in 2011 with 85,100 sales – more than 22,500 ahead of its nearest rival.

Toyota senior executive director sales and marketing David Buttner said May and June sales had been significantly affected by production disruptions caused by the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Mr Buttner said production had returned to normal in Australia, Thailand and Japan – the three countries that provide cars for the local market.

“During July, we will receive almost all the vehicles we ordered earlier in the year,” Mr Buttner said.

“As the month progresses, customers will have access to a full complement of cars with a much wider choice of grades and colours.

“By August, the number of vehicles available to our dealerships will be back to normal, putting us and our dealers in a position to satisfy customer demand.”

Mr Buttner said the return to “business as normal” had occurred more quickly than anyone expected when the natural disasters hit Japan on March 11.

“This has been a remarkable turnaround, which has been made possible by the efforts of Toyota and its suppliers around the world.

“Toyota really appreciates the understanding shown by customers despite the inconvenience of the past two months,” Mr Buttner said.

In June, HiLux was one of the best-selling cars in the country with more than 3,000 sales while Corolla topped 2,100 sales and Camry retained its dominance of the medium-car segment.
 

Best June Result Ever for Volvo Car Australia

• June result (638 retails) a record for Volvo Car Australia.
• Total sales up 14.4 per cent compared with the same period in 2010.

Volvo Car Australia has recorded its best June ever with 638 retail deliveries for the month. This result eclipsed the previous record of 620 cars in June 2009.

To the end of June Volvo retailed 2782 cars – 350 ahead of the 2432 it sold in the first six months of 2010.

The record month comes on the back of continued growth by Volvo Car Australia every month this year and bucking the overall market trend, which was down by 6.6 percent.

So far this year, the XC60 has been Volvo’s top performer with 970 sales to date – up 220 units compared with the same period in 2010.

The all-new S60 sedan and V60 wagon are also gaining traction in the market with 490 sales between them.

Despite being winter, the stylish C70 also performed well with 109 sales – up 18.5 per cent so far this year.

Volvo’s strong result has been attributed to a product line-up that offers the right mix of style, quality and safety combined with extremely sharp pricing across the range.

“Volvo’s sales success for the first six months of 2011 is a fantastic achievement.

June was the best ever month on record for VCA with 638 sales and Volvo has achieved consistent growth every month this year, despite the overall market being down,” said Matt Braid, managing director, Volvo Car Australia.

“The XC60 is selling extremely well and the new S60 and V60 are gaining traction in the market.

“Customers have responded well to our range of Scandinavian designed, European built, safe and desirable products and, of course, the value-for-money that comes with owning a Volvo,” Mr Braid said.
 

May car sales affected by tsunami impact

3rd June, 2011

Weaker new vehicle sales in May have been compounded by the impact of the Japanese tsunami on the availability of some models and components.

Official VFACTS data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) for May 2011 show that new car sales were weaker for the third successive month. A total of 77,406 new vehicles were sold in May, down 13.2 per cent on the same month in 2010.

“The underlying trend in new vehicle sales has been softer over the past few months and this is consistent with a range of other demand indicators”, Chief Executive of the FCAI Andrew McKellar said.

“It is also clear that a number of brands have experienced disruption in the supply of some vehicle models and components, as a consequence of the Japanese tsunami,” he said.

“More recent reports indicate that these challenges are now being addressed more quickly than originally expected and we are hopeful that supply constraints will improve over coming months”, said Mr McKellar.

Holden was the top selling brand in May with 11,115 new vehicle sales, followed by Toyota with 11,044 and then Hyundai with 7,444.