New vehicle sales report – July 2011

A total of 80,991 new vehicles were sold last month according to official VFACTS numbers. That represents a small drop of 1.7% compared to July 2010.

Steve Payne, FCAI Acting Chief Executive, explains the year-long trend is lower again, “While the drop in sales in July is small compared to the same month last year, the overall drop in sales for the year to date of 5.9% indicates that consumers are continuing to delay new vehicle purchases.”

The apparently unstoppable growth in SUV sales continues, with the segment up 1.8% against July last year. While the luxury end of the SUV market is up 17.4% on year-to-date figures.

Toyota returns to top the charts for the month (12,980 sales), with Holden (10,819) in second and Ford (7769) holding off Mazda and Hyundai.

Motor vehicle sales fall again in July

3rd August, 2011

Consumer uncertainty and continuing supply constraints resulting from the Japanese natural disaster have led to soft vehicle sales in July, according to figures released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI).

Official VFACTS data shows 80,991 new vehicles were sold in July, 1.7% (or 1385) fewer vehicles than the same month in 2010.

“While the drop in sales in July is small compared to the same month last year, the overall drop in sales for the year to date of 5.9% indicates that consumers are continuing to delay new vehicle purchases”, said the FCAI Acting Chief Executive Steve Payne.

“The supply of vehicles and components from Japan, following the earthquake and tsunami in March, has improved, however sales of several popular models were still affected by supply constraints”, Mr Payne said.

“Sales of SUVs continue to grow, with an increase of 1.8% compared to July 2010 and, in particular, Luxury SUVs have had a very strong year, with year-to-date sales up 17.4%,” he said.

The Holden Commodore was the single best selling model in July with 3551 sales, followed by the Mazda 3 (3290), Toyota HiLux (3147) and Holden Cruze (3123).

Mr Payne said the FCAI is expecting that sales will return to long-term trends as the supply constraints are mitigated. “We expect annual sales to be around 1 million vehicles for 2011”, Mr Payne said.

Toyota re-claimed market leadership in July with 12,980 sales, followed by Holden with 10,819 and Ford (7769).

 

Audi’s Sustainable Sales Success Continues

• Strong July sales ensure 9.4 percent growth rate year-to-date
  
• A1, A7 Sportback and A8 contributing to ongoing growth
  
• Outstanding international results with 652,970 deliveries in the first six months of 2011 and record operating profits for Audi Group

Strong July figures have ensured Audi Australia’s sales success continues unabated with ongoing sustainable growth and healthy financial results. Internationally, the Audi Group is enjoying similar success with record sales figures and outstanding fiscal results.

Audi Australia continues to set sales records, with its sustainable growth strategy paying dividends across the board. With a solid 1,030 sales in July, Audi Australia’s year-to-date sales stand at 9,024 – representing a year-on-year growth rate of an outstanding 9.4 percent and the only premium manufacturer to record growth this year.

Sales of the breakthrough Audi A1 are outstanding, exceeding expectations in its first full year on sale and quickly establishing itself as a core pillar of the Audi volume strategy. At the other end of the scale, the A7 Sportback and A8 limousine are recording excellent results and mark Audi as a force to be reckoned with in the high-end C and D segment.

The Audi Q5’s popularity remains as strong as ever – the Audi Q5 continues its position as the market leader in the premium SUV segment.

These sales success stories mean Audi is four years ahead of its internal plan and targets, continuing to make strides with outstanding product and an expanding dealer network.

“This continued success is a reflection of the commitment and dedication of the entire Audi Australia network,” said Audi Australia Managing Director, Uwe Hagen.

“As we continue to build our sales, we will continue to expand our presence in Australia, and by the end of this year we will have invested more than $250 million into our dealer network with a number of new or thoroughly upgraded sites.”

“Our increasing success in the C and D segment is particularly exciting and is set to continue with the recent launch of the all-new A6, which is our definition of the business-class sedan.”

Internationally, the Audi Group is enjoying similar success, with 652,970 Audi vehicles deliver in the first half of the year. This strong growth has been achieved with the success of the A1, A7 Sportback, A8 and Q-family.

The profitability of the Audi Group has also risen. With an operating return on sales of 11.8 percent (2010: 7.6 percent), the company has clearly surpassed its goal of achieving a long-term average return of 8 to 10 percent.

“After the highly successful first six months we also intend to achieve a double-digit operating return on sales in the second half of 2011,” said Axel Strotbek, Board Member for Finance and Organisation.

Yet the CFO also made reference to the ongoing risks: “Given the immense public debt of significant economies, the volatile trend in markets and the rise in the price of key commodities, which is primarily driven by speculation, the entire automotive industry is facing huge challenges.”

That said, the company is confident that it can continue its growth trend. The worldwide availability of the new A6 Limousine and market launches of the A6 Avant and Q3 are set to drive growth in the second half 2011 and into the future.

 

Holden Commodore Back On Top

• Commodore Australia’s number one car
  
• Cruze above 3000 units for the second month in a row

Holden recorded another solid sales performance in July with Australia’s favourite family car, the Commodore, returning to number one position in the annual sales race.

According to figures released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), Commodore reclaimed year-to-date market leadership and was also the best performing vehicle for the month with 3551 sold and a 53.2 per cent share of the large car segment.

Commodore’s baby brother, the Adelaide-built Cruze added to its incredible 2011 sales performance, with Australians snapping up more than 3000 units for the second consecutive month.

The popular small car range, which features the most fuel-efficient car built in Australia, was the number two small car in July with 3123 units sold and a 16.9 per cent share of the small car segment. It was Cruze’s best July sales performance since its 2009 launch.

Other strong performing Holden carlines included the family-friendly Series II Captiva range which continued its steady performance with 1083 sales of Captiva 7 (765 units) and Captiva 5 (318 units) for the month.

Overall, Holden’ recorded a solid July market share of 13.4 per cent, selling a total of 10,819 units.

Holden Director of Sales Philip Brook said July was a sound month for Holden across a number of carlines, which was reflected in Holden’s steady market share.

“Our strong July results come off the back of some great locally-built product. Commodore sedan and Sportwagon models continue to draw plenty of attention in our showrooms while the customer reaction to the Series II Cruze has been quite phenomenal,” Mr Brook said.

“We plan to build on this momentum in the second half of the year as we continue to roll out new models across the Holden range.

“Our next-generation Barina and locally-designed Cruze hatch are just around the corner and we expect the launch of these models to cap off a strong year.”

Year-to-date, Holden has sold 73,389 vehicles and has a market share of 12.7 per cent.

 

Mazda Maintains Momentum in July

Mazda Australia has built on its record-breaking first half year with a solid July performance with a total of 6,984 new Mazdas finding homes.

Segment-topping sales from both the Mazda2 and Mazda3 were combined with consistent performances across the Mazda range to secure the company’s second-best ever July result.

Mazda2 sales stepped up in July, placing the stylish city car at the top of the light car segment for the second consecutive month. Due to its strong sales performance so far this year, Mazda2 sales are up an impressive 23.6 per cent year-to-date compared to the same period last year.

Buoyed by updates across the Mazda2 range the stylish light car has secured a 13.1 per cent segment share year-to-date.

Mazda3 once again earned the title of Australia’s best-selling small car in July, further confirming its status as the country’s best-selling small car year-to-date with an 18.4 per cent segment share.
Mazda Australia managing director, Doug Dickson is pleased with the brand’s start to the second half of the year.

“While Mazda2 and Mazda3 were the standout performers in July it’s pleasing to see solid sales across the whole Mazda range” he said.

“The July result has put us on the right track for a strong second half of the year. With New Mazda3 and All-New BT-50 just around the corner we’re optimistic that we can build on the sales progress we have made so far this year. These are both very important cars for Mazda and we look forward to introducing them to Australian car buyers in the not-too-distant future.”

 

Toyota extends its sales lead

Toyota has extended its overall lead as Australia’s top-selling carmaker with a market-leading performance in July.

Official figures released today show Toyota sold almost 13,000 vehicles last month, pushing its total above 98,000 for the year so far.

Toyota’s August total was more than 2,100 ahead of any other carmaker, giving it an overall lead this year in excess of 24,700 vehicles.

Last month, five Toyotas – Camry, LandCruiser 200 Series, HiLux 4×2, HiLux 4×4 and HiAce bus – were the best-selling vehicles in their segments.

HiLux was one of only four vehicles in the country that topped 3,000 deliveries for the month.

Toyota Australia’s senior executive director sales and marketing David Buttner said customers could look forward to dealers having strong availability of stock for the rest of the year.

“We have more than 20,000 vehicles arriving in both August and September to meet customer orders and support our two-month Toyotathon promotion,” Mr Buttner said.

“Toyota has recovered more quickly than expected from production disruptions caused by the Japan earthquake and tsunami in March.

“Manufacturing plants supplying vehicles for the Australian market have worked hard to make up lost production.

“On behalf of Toyota Australia, I would like to thank customers for their support and understanding over the past few months.”

Mr Buttner said it was remarkable that Toyota’s global parent company had yesterday released positive production and financial data.

“Toyota is now back on track globally with a small net profit in the April-June quarter and higher full-year forecasts for production and profits,” he said.