Australia remains on track to achieve one million new vehicle sales according to FCAI chief executive Ian Chalmers. VFACTS figures state 85,196 new vehicles were sold in October, a rise of 5.3 per cent on the same month last year.
“Manufacturers are reporting a steady increase in demand, placing the industry in a strong position to reach our target of one million sales for the calendar year,†Mr Chalmers said.
“So far this year 837,324 new vehicles have been sold. While this is 2.8 per cent fewer than for the same period in 2010, last month’s figures are the best October sales result since 2007 and suggest a return to pre-GFC sales volumes.â€
Toyota holds a comfortable margin as the country’s highest selling brand, followed by Holden in its familiar second place. Hyundai has this month stolen the role as Australia’s third best seller from the usual Ford–Mazda scrap.
Toyota’s strength last month results from finding the Corolla and Hilux as the country’s two highest selling cars. Volkswagen finds itself in the headlines with the Golf claiming third place on the sales charts.
We expect more manufacturers will release their brag sheets on Monday; we’ll add them to the happy messages from Holden and Toyota as they arrive.
Motor Vehicle Sales Grow in October
Strong motor sales results in the final months of 2011 have put the industry firmly on track to reach one million sales this year, according to Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) chief executive Ian Chalmers.
Official VFACTS data shows 85,196 new vehicles were sold in the month of October, with demand increasing 5.3 per cent (4271 vehicles) over the same month in 2010.
“Manufacturers are reporting a steady increase in demand, placing the industry in a strong position to reach our target of one million sales for the calendar year,†Mr Chalmers said.
“So far this year 837,324 new vehicles have been sold. While this is 2.8 per cent fewer than for the same period in 2010, last month’s figures are the best October sales result since 2007 and suggest a return to pre-GFC sales volumes.â€
Demand for cars, SUVs, light commercials and heavy vehicles all increased in October compared with 2010.
October saw passenger car sales grow 5 per cent, SUV sales 5.4 per cent, light commercials 5.7 per cent and heavy vehicles 6.4 per cent (compared with October 2010).
Sales of locally manufactured models also continued to grow, with 13,450 deliveries representing a 20.1 per cent increase over October 2010.
Mr Chalmers said relatively stable fuel prices in October, combined with a perceived return of business confidence, were likely contributors to the strong sales.
Toyota’s Corolla was the single best selling model in October with 3593 sales, followed by Toyota HiLux (3480), Volkswagen Golf (3337), Mazda3 (3185) and Holden Commodore (3018).
Toyota was the best-selling marque in October with 17,239 sales, followed by Holden (10,209) and Hyundai (7507).
Commodore Leads Holden Sales in October
Holden’s home-grown Commodore remains Australia’s favourite car year-to-date in a competitive October market.
Holden sold 3,018 units of the Commodore sedan and Sportwagon last month, bringing Commodore’s total to 34,995 units for the year.
Combined with the popular Cruze sedan, Holden’s Adelaide-built models accounted for around 58 per cent of the company’s sales so far this year.
Holden achieved 12.0 per cent market share in October with solid performances across a number of carlines including Cruze, the Captiva 5 and 7 SUV and the hard-working Colorado LCV.
Holden Director of Sales Philip Brook said constrained availability of Cruze and Captiva models limited Holden’s performance last month, with demand outstripping supply.
“October was a pretty challenging month for us. Customer demand for Cruze and Captiva was greater than availability, which can be a nice problem to have,†he said.
“We expect the situation to improve in November and we’re really excited about new models of Barina and Cruze hatch arriving, which will help meet demand in the months ahead.
“Commodore continues to be a cornerstone of the Holden model line-up. We’ve added around $9,500 of extra value to Commodore with the special edition Equipe, which adds extras like 18-inch alloy wheels, rear-view camera and rear park assist.
“It will be a tough fight to the end of 2011 but with Commodore Equipe at dealers, Cruze hatch going on sale next week, and the new-generation Barina hatchback arriving this month, we’re looking forward to a strong finish at Holden.â€
After months of planning, Holden’s Vehicle Operations celebrated the start of local Cruze hatch production last week. The model year 2012 Cruze hatch and sedan go on sale around Australia from Tuesday 8 November.
Toyota Corolla and HiLux lead vehicle sales towards one million
Two Toyota vehicles – Corolla and HiLux – were Australia’s best sellers last month as total industry sales moved closer to one million for the year.
Corolla grabbed the top spot for the second consecutive month – its third victory this year – with almost 3,600 sales.
It narrowly beat HiLux which recorded close to 3,500 deliveries, making the popular workhorse the best-selling Toyota so far this year.
Toyota dealers have delivered in excess of 148,600 cars, SUVs and light-commercial vehicles so far this year – or more than 42,000 ahead of any other company.
Toyota’s senior executive director sales and marketing David Buttner said Toyota’s market-leading results were driving the automotive industry towards one million sales in 2011.
Mr Buttner said Toyota accounted for better than one out of every five sales last month as the industry posted its strongest October since 2007.
“October was the third month in a row where total industry sales were higher than the corresponding month of the previous year,” Mr Buttner said.
“This trend augurs well for the final two months of the year and the likelihood of annual sales topping one million for only the fourth time,” he said.
In October, local buyers made Camry Australia’s best-selling mid-size car with more than 2,700 sales – five times higher than its nearest segment rival.
Other Toyota vehicles topping their segments in October were RAV4, LandCruiser 200 Series wagon and HiAce commuter bus.