New vehicle sales report – December 2009

According to official VFACTS figures released earlier today new vehicle sales in Australia for 2009 reached 937,328, an overall drop of 7.4% compared to 2008.

November’s cracking results showed the motor industry was well on the way to financial recovery and  December followed suit registering 88,708 sales. Which sets a new record for the month.

FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar acknowledged the role of the Federal Government’s tax incentives for businesses in returning better than expected yearly figures, “The final outcome for the year has surpassed the industry’s original expectations by some 57,000 vehicles and a significant proportion of this additional volume can be attributed to the tax break.”

Toyota (200,191), Holden (119,658) and Ford (96,501) were the top three selling marques. Toyota’s stranglehold on top spot looks very secure, despite the highest selling car in Australia for 2009 being the Holden Commodore (44,387). The Corolla (39,013) and HiLux (38,457) rounded out the top three selling models nationwide.

Other notable performers were Audi, Mitsubishi and Volkswagen. But it seems most manufacturers have a positive spin to sell and a raft of press releases to that affect follow this article.

Audi, intent on chasing BMW for the top selling prestige marque, concluded 2009 with their fifth year of growth. Impressively, the German brand bettered last year’s record by over 20% while recording 11,310 sales. A perfect end to the local career of Audi Australia’s managing director, Joerg Hofmann. The hard task master will be returning home to Germany at the end of this month—see carsales interview from December 2009.

Mitsubishi have put the corpse of the Magna well behind it, achieving best ever annual sales for the Lancer (21,362) and Triton (18,182).

Volkswagen improved on its 2008 record year by selling over 30,000 vehicles for the first time under the Volkswagen Group Australia banner.

NEW VEHICLE MARKET ENDS STRONG YEAR WITH RECORD DECEMBER

FCAI – 6 January 2010 – The new vehicle market ended the year strongly to record annual sales that well exceeded industry forecasts with many of the additional sales attributed to the Federal Government’s business tax break.

Official VFACTS data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) shows that 937,328 passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles were sold in the calendar year 2009 (down 7.4 per cent compared to 2008).

The year ended strongly with a record number of vehicles sold in the month of December (up 15.9% on 2008).

“Given all the challenges and uncertainties thrown at the industry by the global economy this is an exceptional result,” FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar said.

“The ‘game changing’ measure that restored confidence in the marketplace and stimulated additional demand was the bonus tax break for business,” Mr McKellar said.

“The final outcome for the year has surpassed the industry’s original expectations by some 57,000 vehicles and a significant proportion of this additional volume can be attributed to the tax break,” he said.

Looking ahead, the FCAI forecasts that new vehicle sales in 2010 will exceed 940,000.

“The challenges of the past year have not yet fully passed so 2010 will be a year of consolidation for the industry,” Mr McKellar said.

One note of caution influencing the industry outlook relates to interest rates.

“There is a real risk that if market lending rates are further increased, excessively, the momentum of the economic recovery now underway could be damaged,” he said.

Toyota was the best performing brand in 2009 for the seventh year in a row with a market share of 21.4%, ahead of Holden with 12.8% and Ford with 10.3%

The most popular vehicle model, for the fourteenth year in a row, was the Holden Commodore; ahead of the Toyota Corolla then the Toyota Hilux.

Top Ten Models

1. Holden Commodore – 44,387
2. Toyota Corolla – 39,013
3. Toyota Hilux (4×4 and 4×2 combined) – 38,457
4. Mazda3 – 35,298
5. Ford Falcon – 31,023
6. Hyundai i30 – 21,414
7. Mitsubishi Lancer – 21,362
8. Toyota Camry – 20,846
9. Hyundai Getz – 19,643
10. Toyota Yaris – 19,447

Top Ten Brands

1. Toyota – 200,991
2. Holden – 119,568
3. Ford – 96,501
4. Mazda – 77,739
5. Hyundai – 63,207
6. Mitsubishi – 56,998
7. Nissan – 52,901
8. Honda – 41,443
9. Subaru – 36,506
10. Volkswagen – 30,087

Audi Ends 2009 with 5th Record

Audi Australia Pty Ltd has blitzed its 2008 result by a massive margin of 20.2 percent in 2009, finishing the year with an all time high of 11,310 units.

A total of 1,900 vehicles were sold on top of the company’s previous all-time high in 2008 (2008: 9,410 units).

Now it’s 5th record year, the company began 2009 with a plan of 10,000+ units, however this milestone was achieved on 27 November 2009 with the sale of an Audi Q5 in Brisbane – the 10,000th vehicle to be sold in Australia.

The company exceeded its planned sales target for every major model line, and equally as important, has finished the year with profitable growth.

Since 2004, Audi has achieved growth of 30 percent in 2005 (compared with 2004), 20 percent growth in 2006, 25 percent in 2007, 30 percent in 2008 and now 20 percent growth in 2009.

In that time, sales have tripled from 3,700 units (2004 result) and market share has also increased threefold from 0.5 percent to 1.6 percent (according to VFACTS total passenger and SUV sales YTD Nov 2009).

Audi’s managing director, Joerg Hofmann, who leaves the company in January, says he is extremely proud of the result, and of his team, who have now achieved 60 months of consecutive records since 2004.

“We set ourselves a goal for 2009 of 10,000+ units, but as we got closer to the end of the year, we knew that we would actually reach over 11,000 units thanks to the growing momentum of Audi in this country,” Mr Hofmann said.

“Our 2009 success was due to our clear growth strategy, strong direction, focused team and very supportive dealer network who have collectively invested around $90 million dollars in facilities this year alone.

Ending his tenure on the highest possible note, Mr Hofmann will now leave Australia in January for his new posting in Germany, as the head of AUDI AG’s Retail Network.

“I’m proud to have lead this dynamic company to its 60th month of growth, tripled our sales growth and to have opened the world’s largest new Audi Terminal in Sydney,” Mr Hofmann said.

It’s definitely the high point of my career to-date however it is now time to make a new career move back to Germany, after five unforgettable years in Australia,” Hofmann said.

BMW Retains Luxury Crown

Australia’s best selling luxury brand has once again eclipsed the luxury automotive market, according to official 2009 industry figures released today.

BMW again surpassed 17,000 passenger/SUV registrations, a feat never achieved before by another premium manufacturer and firmly claimed line honours as Australia’s best selling luxury brand for the sixth consecutive year.

“To record sales in excess of 17,000 units for the third consecutive year is a testament to the strength of the BMW product range and dealer network,” says Stavros Yallouridis, managing director of BMW Group Australia.

After recording another buoyant sales month for December with 1,443 registrations, BMW consolidated its dominance of the luxury segment taking the full year tally to an impressive 17,099 units.

A major contributor to the success of BMW came as a result of the intense rollout of BMW EfficientDynamics that now underpins the entire BMW range. Likewise, the demand for diesel power reached new heights with almost 40 per cent of BMW customers electing a diesel powerplant.

“BMW EfficientDynamics has played a fundamental role in the continued success of BMW providing customers with class leading fuel economy and power, whilst remaining true to the driving prowess unique to BMW,” he says

BMW has a celebrated history since arriving in Australia some thirty years ago, outselling the competition a total of twenty one times over the period, clearly stamping its authority as the leading selling luxury brand in the country.

The outlook for 2010 looks equally as impressive with the planned arrival of key products to further shape the extensive product portfolio. Highlights include the release of the versatile BMW X1, offering the market unprecedented luxury in the compact SUV segment and the all new 5 Series that will set out to create a new benchmark in its class.

“This year will be another significant year for BMW with the planned introduction of many new and innovative models that will again open up new opportunities for the company,” says Yallouridis.

Commodore Marks 14 Years as Australia’s Top Selling Car

• Holden Commodore is Australia’s favourite car for the 14th consecutive year

Figures released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries show Australians purchased a total of 44,387 vehicles from the VE Commodore range in 2009. The result means Commodore has been Australia’s best selling car each and every year since 1996.

“It’s been a tough year so we’re rapt Commodore has come out on top again,” Holden’s Executive Director of Sales and Marketing, John Elsworth said.

“Commodore is designed and engineered here in Australia, it’s built here and we’re very proud of the way we’ve been able to continually refine and improve it since it was first launched more than 30 years ago.”

Holden sold 119,568 vehicles in Australia in 2009, 12.8 per cent of the market, making Holden the second top selling brand behind Toyota. Mr Elsworth said the Federal Government’s investment allowance played an important part in the result.

Other popular Holden models in 2009 included the Holden Cruze (12,590 sold since it was launched in June), Captiva (11,504 sold, up 14% over the previous year) and Colorado 4×4 (11,002 sold).

“Cruze has done really well from the moment we put it into showrooms. Captiva has also been outstanding, comfortably outselling a bunch of rivals including Territory.”

Mr Elsworth said today’s results also showed strengthening sales momentum in December, when 11,773 new Holden cars were sold.

“We’re encouraged by what we think are the early signs of recovery in the market and we’ll go into 2010 feeling optimistic,” Mr Elsworth said.

Mazda’s Record December Caps Off a Strong 2009

• 7,813 retails in December is a new Mazda record
• Mazda market share for 2009 up 0.4pc to 8.3pc
• Mazda remains the leading full-line importer for the fifth consecutive year
• Mazda maintains its position as 4th overall
• 77,739 retails for the year is Mazda’s second most successful year ever

Mazda Australia has finished 2009 in style by retailing 7,813 vehicles in December making it the company’s most successful year-end ever and beating the previous December best by over 1,100.

This strong finish to the year has contributed to a 0.4pc increase in Mazda’s market share to 8.3pc for the year and ensured that Mazda remains Australia’s favourite importer. A total of 77,739 new vehicle retails means that 2009 has been Mazda’s second most successful year ever.

“There is no doubt that the market has seem some challenging times this year but Mazda has continued to meet the needs of the Australian car-buying public by offering a portfolio of stylish and affordable products” said Doug Dickson, Mazda Australia’s Managing Director.

“We are extremely pleased with such a strong result and must take the opportunity to also recognise the significant efforts made by Mazda dealers to contribute to this success. To outperform the market in such challenging times is an achievement to be proud of.”

The charge was led by the ever popular Mazda3 with 3,353 buyers choosing to take one home in December. The enduring popularity of the Mazda3 is further highlighted by the fact that 2009 has been its most successful year ever.

“We introduced the new generation Mazda3 in April and it was always going to play an important part in our portfolio. The fact that it has finished 2009 as Australia’s third best-selling passenger car speaks volumes.”

Mazda’s passenger car range performed strongly in 2009 with the compact Mazda2 remaining one of Australia’s top three best selling light cars while the Mazda6 continues to be Australia’s best selling imported medium car.

Mazda’s range of SUV’s was also in high demand this year. The recently facelifted CX-7 made a significant contribution with December sales up by 106pc on the same time last year while the CX-9 continues to provide a stylish alternative in the medium SUV segment.

The Mazda BT-50 light commercial range has been another success story and assisted by the introduction of the value-packed Boss range in September, 2009 has been its most successful year ever with sales up by 8.6pc over 2008.

“We are delighted with the way the Australian public has reacted to our products this year. Mazda Australia is committed to bringing more new Stylish, Insightful and Spirited products to the market in the coming months and look forward to another successful year in 2010” said Dickson.

Mitsubishi Rewrites the Record Books in 2009

Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited (MMAL) sent the sales records tumbling in 2009, with a host of “best ever” results both on a calendar year basis, as well as on a year-on-year basis.

Calendar year records achieved by Mitsubishi during 2009 included:

• Best ever annual result for Lancer with 21,362 sales
• Best ever annual result for Triton 4×4 with 10,557 sales
• Best ever annual result for Triton 4×2 with 7,625 sales

Year-on-year records achieved by Mitsubishi during December included:

• Best December on record for imported vehicles with 6,808 sales
• December 2009 up 60 per cent on December 2008
• Best December market share in five years at 7.7 per cent
• Best December on record for Outlander with 877 sales
• Best December on record for Triton 4×4 with 1,407 sales
• Best December on record for Triton 4×2 with 1,044 sales
• Best December since 2000 for Lancer with 2,268 sales
• Best December since 1995 for Express with 295 sales

Robert McEniry, president and CEO of Mitsubishi said the strong sales results were directly attributable to “product, perseverance and performance” and praised the contribution of the company’s dealers and staff.

“We have a great product line-up, we are determined to succeed, and our employees and dealer network continue to perform at astonishing levels to ensure Mitsubishi’s success,” McEniry said.

Calendar year sales for the company totalled 56,998 units, a decrease of 6.1 per cent over total sales for 2008, but well ahead of the market decline of 7.4%. Imported vehicle sales for the company showed an even better result, with a difference of just .8 per cent from the previous year.

Year-on-year sales were outstanding, with the company recording 6,808 sales during December, an increase of a whopping 60 per cent on December 2008 sales. Market share for December was 7.7 per cent, compared to 5.5 per cent the previous year.

Mitsubishi’s overall 2009 market share remained steady, with the company registering a slight increase to 6.1 per cent during the year.

Subaru Celebrates Strong Year

Subaru finished 2009 with 36,506 sales, with Forester taking the honours of Australia’s best-selling Sports Utility Vehicle across all categories, according to official VFACTS figures released today.

In a market down 7.4 per cent for the year, Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive range dropped just 5.2 per cent – and Impreza achieved its best-ever annual sales, of 12,268.

Among the highlights, combined Forester and Outback sales again dominated the SUV compact segment, with a 20.7 per cent market share for the year.

Forester sold 13,753 in 2009 and Outback 3716, with the latter performing strongly in the last quarter following the introduction of award-winning new generation versions. December Outback sales of 493 were 154.1 per cent up on December 2008.

Impreza grew its share of the Small Car segment from 5.3 per cent in 2008 to 5.9 per cent in 2009, retailing 12,268.

Liberty sales of 5548 also reflected strong interest in the new generation car in the last three months – 719 December sales were up 89.2 per cent on December 2008.

Tribeca sales of 1221 in 2009 included 138 in December, up 45.3 per cent for the month.

Nick Senior, Managing Director, Subaru Australia, said: “A year ago it wouldn’t be an understatement to say the outlook was bleak, but it’s pleasing to be in the situation we are in today.

“The strength of the retail network and our value-for-money proposition have been critical to this success, combined with our clear difference in the marketplace, represented by Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and our boxer engines.

“We are delighted by Forester’s ongoing popularity, dominating not only the SUV compact category, but every SUV category overall.

“Impreza has achieved a new annual sales record and there has been strong acceptance of our new Liberty and Outback models, including our first diesel, the Outback 2.0D.

“We finished the year with two Australia’s Best Cars awards and a Fairfax Drive Car of the Year title.
“We now look forward to building on our strong foundations in 2010, with some exciting new models and initiatives.”

Suzuki Ends the Year on a High

• Record December retail figure of 2,005 units
• Suzuki maintains YTD market share of 2.2%
• 20,298 units sold in Australia for 2009

Suzuki has defied the tough market conditions with a record-breaking finish to the year.

According to VFACTS figures released today, the Japanese carmaker retailed 2,005 vehicles last month – its best ever December figure on record – to round off the year with a total of 20,298 vehicles sold.

The record monthly figure was a 15.9 per cent increase on its previous record month set in December 2008.

Having surpassed the 20,000 mark by almost 300 units, Suzuki’s figure ranks amongst its top three best ever results set in Australia. Since 2004 the company has more than tripled retail sales to remain one of the fastest growing vehicle brands in the country.

“This is a terrific result for Suzuki in such challenging times, particularly given that we have only added one vehicle to our line-up, mid way through 2009, the all new Alto” said Suzuki Australia General Manager, Tony Devers.

“Our total sales for the year were almost 300 units above the target we set ourselves at the start of 2009.

“More importantly we have maintained our market share year on year to continue at 2.2 per cent.”

Devers attributed the result to Suzuki’s product range which continues to offer style, safety, reliability and excellent value for money in the one affordable package.

“Swift has maintained its excellent sales result throughout 2009 with a total of 11,548 vehicles moving out of dealer showrooms.

The result sees the star car as one of the top choices for private buyers in the light car segment despite a raft of competitor updates to the segment over the last 12 months.

“Combine this with Australia’s first ever sub-light vehicle, the all new Alto, which continues to draw increased customer interest since its introduction in August and the valued-packed SX4 small car, and Suzuki’s choice of passenger vehicles has never been stronger.”

Grand Vitara was another stand-out performer for the brand with total sales for the year up 8.4 per cent on the previous record figure set in 2008. The award-winning model was one of a few compact SUVs to boast a strong sales growth with 4,190 retails in 2009.

“Together with our consistent sales of the Jimny Sierra we sold over 5,000 vehicles in the compact SUV segment. This is a new achievement for Suzuki in this country and one that we are extremely confident will continue as we move into a new year.”

Devers said the future remains very strong for Suzuki in this country.

“2010 promises to be one of the company’s biggest years in history with two significant models coming on stream in the first half of the year.

“It begins early with the introduction of the next generation SX4 in February.

“Featuring an all-new engine with significantly improved environmental credentials, new transmissions and more safety and creature comforts than ever before, we are confident the SX4 upgrade will guarantee additional share of the small-car segment.

“Things then move up a notch mid year when we welcome to our shores the company’s first ever mid-size car, the stunning Kizashi.

“The enthusiastic response coming out of the United States and Japan has us extremely confident for the model here in Australia.

“The Kizashi will serve as Suzuki’s flagship model, expanding and strengthening our award-winning line-up of high quality cars and SUVs,” said Devers.

TOYOTA LEADS MARKET WITH 200,000 SALES IN 2009

Toyota has pulled out all stops to lead the automotive industry to a stronger-than-expected sales total in 2009.

Healthy customer demand in December, supported by the Federal Government’s investment-allowance bonuses, enabled the industry to record 937,328 sales.

The final tally was down 7.4 per cent compared with 2008; however, it was a vast improvement over the decline of more than 20 per cent experienced in the early part of the year.

Overall sales were around 90,000 higher than many observers were predicting during the first half of the year.

Toyota was the year’s best-selling brand with 200,991 sales and a market share of 21.4 per cent.

It is the sixth straight year Toyota has exceeded the 200,000 mark – and it remains the only car company to have reached that number.

It is the seventh year in a row Toyota has held the number-one position.

In addition, Toyota has been market leader in six other years, having achieved the top spot for the first time in 1991.

Other 2009 sales highlights for Toyota included:

• The top-selling brand in every State and Territory
• Four of the top 10 selling vehicles – Corolla, HiLux, Camry and Yaris
• A margin of more than 81,000 sales over its nearest rival
• Market leader every month since April 2005.

Toyota Australia senior executive director sales and marketing David Buttner said Toyota’s continued success was due to its wide range and high quality of vehicles, a customer-focused dealer network and aggressive marketing offers.

Mr Buttner said the sales year was split into two distinct parts with a significant recovery from the start of June.

“Factors such as Federal Government incentives and an improving economy along with higher business and consumer confidence have boosted the auto industry over the past seven months,” Mr Buttner said.

“Since the start of June, Toyota’s average monthly sales have risen to just over 18,300 – an improvement of more than 25.7 per cent on the January-May period.

“The pattern for the industry as a whole is similar, although not as pronounced.

“Average monthly sales for the past seven months were 83,565 – or 18.6 per cent ahead of the average during the first five months.”

Mr Buttner said market conditions would remain challenging, with 2010 being a year of consolidation with Toyota well placed to improve its sales and share.

“Toyota’s full-year sales forecast is for an industry total similar to, or slightly better than, the 2009 result.

“Underlying demand will be stronger during the coming 12 months.

“As the year progresses, the pace of growth should accelerate – and we are expecting the industry to return to sales in excess of one million in 2011.”

Mr Buttner said the reduced tariff on passenger cars has led to lower prices and/or increased equipment, which would help stimulate sales.

“We expect the economy to continue its gradual improvement – and a better business climate is positive for sales.

“The mining industry remains a relative bright spot and the positive impact of the second investment allowance bonus will continue to be felt as qualifying vehicles are delivered, particularly in the first quarter.

“A stronger world economy will drive demand for Australian commodities – greatly benefiting many local indicators, including vehicle sales.”

2009 Sees Volkswagen Group Australia Set New Sales Record

Volkswagen Group Australia has achieved total vehicle sales of 30,087 in 2009 – its fifth straight year of growth – and for the first time in recent history exceeded 30,000 vehicle sales.

Volkswagen consolidated its position as the 10th highest selling brand in Australia, growing at 0.7% in 2009. An increase of 0.2% in total market share now brings Volkswagen’s total market share to 3.2%.

This year the top performing Volkswagen models with significant growth over the prior year were the Tiguan +324.0% and the Caravelle +101.1%. The Golf managed a sales increase of 4.4% with total sales of 12,141 to continue its reign as Volkswagen’s best selling model.

Volkswagen Group Australia’s Managing Director, Anke Koeckler, was pleased with the result and buoyant about the coming year: “A number of significant new models arriving on the Australian market in 2010 will put Volkswagen into a very good position for continued growth. Amongst these is the launch of the Golf Wagon in February, which will increase the appeal of the Golf range. Our new Polo, the European Car of the Year 2010, will also be a promising contender in the small car segment on the Australian market arriving in the 2nd quarter of 2010.”

Reflecting on her first few months in her role at Volkswagen Group Australia, Ms Koeckler had this to say: “It was a very competitive market situation in Australia due to the global financial crises which put a lot of pressure on the automotive industry. However, our strong model line-up and dealer network allowed us to still perform well in this challenging environment. We plan to build on this strong position as we move ahead in 2010.”

Volvo One of the Few Luxury Winners in 2009

• 4,668 retails up 4.5 percent on 2008
• June result (620 retails) a record
• Volvo XC90 still Australia’s favourite seven-seat premium SUV

Volvo Cars Australia was one of only a handful of imported luxury brands that emerged as winners in 2009 posting a sales increase of 4.5 percent over its 2008 figures.

Volvo retailed 4,668 cars in 2009 – 202 ahead of the 4,466 it sold in 2008 – bucking the overall market trend, which was down by 7.4 percent.

Volvo’s best month on record since becoming an importer in Australia was June 2009 with 620 vehicles retailed. This result eclipsed the previous record of 503 retails in May 2007.

Once again, the XC90 was Volvo’s top performer in 2009 with 1,278 retails continuing its reign as Australia’s favourite seven-seat premium SUV.

The new Volvo XC60 was just 17 units behind with 1,261 retails since going on sale in March 2009.

The stylish C30, which is due for an update in March, proved a popular model for Volvo with 538 retails buoyed by its newfound fame as Edward Cullen’s vehicle in the hit Twilight series.

Consistent performances by the S40 sedan and V50 wagon also contributed to Volvo’s successful year.

Volvo’s strong result in such a challenging year 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 in 2009 is a fantastic achievement given the challenging nature of a year when the overall market was down,” said Alan Desselss, managing director, Volvo Car Australia.

“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.

“The result is also testament to the commitment and dedication shown by each and every dealer around Australia who has worked tirelessly to help establish the brand locally,” said Mr Desselss.

In 2010, Volvo Car Australia will aim to build on its sales success with updates to the C30 and C70 models as well as the introduction of the all-new S60 sedan – the first vehicle worldwide to feature pedestrian detection technology.