Categories
Holden Hyundai Kia Mazda Mitsubishi Toyota VFACTS reports

New vehicle sales report – April 2011

FCAI banner

April’s Easter and Anzac day holiday break is being cited as the cause for an 8.8% drop in sales compared to 2010 figures. In all 74,214 new vehicles were sold.

Japanese marques are expected to have temporary ongoing supply issues following the unfortunate earthquake and tsunami.

Toyota and Holden continue their reign as the country’s top two selling brands. However, in April, they gain a rare visit from Hyundai in third place, ahead of usual rivals Ford and Mazda.

New Vehicle Sales Seasonally Down In April 2011

4 May 2011 – The April holiday season of Easter and Anzac Day has contributed to a slowdown in new motor vehicle sales for the month.

Official VFACTS data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) today showed that 74,214 new vehicles were sold in April, down 8.8 percent compared with April 2010.

“It seems likely that the timing of the Easter and ANZAC Day holidays, combined with school holidays has been the major factor contributing to lower sales in the past month,” FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar, said today.

“Potentially some brands and model lines may face issues with supply over coming months, as a flow-on from the Japan earthquake and tsunami.

“However most brands have positioned themselves to ensure that they will have adequate stock to meet strong demand over the coming months.

“While this is a factor, we don’t expect it to detract from competitive pressures in the new vehicle market,” Mr McKellar added

Mr McKellar also pointed to the ongoing strength of the Australian dollar as a factor underpinning record levels of vehicle affordability.

Motor Vehicle Sales – Top Ten Brands: April 2011

  1. Toyota – 13,683
  2. Holden – 9,113
  3. Hyundai – 6,857
  4. Ford – 6,465
  5. Mazda – 6,346
  6. Mitsubishi – 5,281
  7. Nissan – 4,248
  8. Volkswagen – 3,032
  9. Subaru – 2,457
  10. Honda – 2,445

 

Holden’s Local Heroes Do It Again

  • Commodore number one in April
  • Cruze number two small car in April

Holden’s local heroes, the iconic Commodore and increasingly popular Cruze small car, have finished first and fourth in the April sales race.

According to official figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries today, Commodore was the number one selling vehicle in April with 3,075 units sold, accounting for 55.6 per cent of the large car segment.

The Holden Cruze star continued to rise in April as the first Australian-built Series II models were delivered to customers. Cruze complemented Commodore’s winning month with 2,582 sales, making it Australia’s fourth highest-selling vehicle and number two in the small car segment.

Customers have responded well to the combined benefits of fuel economy and punchy performance from the new 1.4 iTi Cruze, with strong demand expected to drive great results this year.

Increased supply of the new Series II Captiva range contributed to strong April sales of Captiva 7 (752 units), placing it third in the medium SUV segment.

Holden Executive Director of Sales, Marketing and Aftersales John Elsworth said Holden was well placed in the growing small car and compact SUV segments.

“We’ve responded to an extremely competitive market by broadening the appeal of core models like Commodore, Captiva and Cruze with a choice of fuel-efficient powertrains, a higher level of overall refinement and more clever features,” he said.

“Commodore remains the dominant force in the large car market and we’ve increased our share to 56.9 per cent year-to-date.

“Holden’s product renaissance over the coming 12 months is only going to strengthen the brand with the introduction of exciting new models like the next-generation Barina and all-new locally designed Cruze hatch just over the horizon.”

Australians purchased a total of 9,113 new Holden vehicles in April, giving Holden a 12.3 per cent market share and 38,628 year-to-date sales.

 

Hyundai Flies High in April

Hyundai Motor Company Australia (HMCA) has continued its solid start to 2011, posting a market share of 9.2%, its best monthly market share since HMCA was founded in September 2003. Hyundai ranked in third position for the month with 6,857 sales.

The sales result saw an increase of +2% April 2011 v. April 2010. In passenger car sales, HMCA also ranked third for the month with 5,184 vehicles sold and a market share of 12.5% representing another best ever result for HMCA.

In the record month, i45 achieved 405 vehicle sales, its highest segment ranking of third and highest market share of 7.1% since launch; and Getz held onto the number one position in the light car segment with 1,717 units sold. Other vehicles which performed were i30 with 2,531 units sold and ix35 finishing the month with 973 units sold.

Meanwhile the multi-award winning Hyundai iLoad range continued to deliver strong sales results, cementing its first place in the van segment year-to-date, with 1,985 units sold and a segment share of 30.4% YTD.

Hyundai Motor America (HMA) April sales result were 61,754 units, up +40% compared with the same period last year. For the year, total Hyundai sales are up +31.4%, with retail volume up +40%. The strong sales result was driven by the all-new Elantra due to be released in Australia in the coming months and the all-new i45 (known as Sonata in the U.S.), both selling over 21,000 units respectively.

Hyundai Motor Company has seen an overall increase in global sales of +9.7% YTD rising from 310,396 in April 2010 to 340,647 in April 2011. Its domestic sales also increased by +8.6% on 2010.

“HMCA is really pleased with our consistent results and steady growth,” said Damien Meredith, Director of Sales Hyundai Motor Company Australia. “Globally, Hyundai is also seeing similar results, mainly driven by the all-new models such as Elantra, Accent and i45. With the imminent release of Veloster and i40 wagon globally, we expect similar growth for the rest of 2011.”

Hyundai’s Australian highlights include:

  • Getz ranked first in the light car segment achieving 1,717 vehicle sales and a market share of 16.9%.
  • i30 ranked third in the small car segment posting a sales result of 2,531 units and 14.3% market share.
  • i45 ranked third in the medium car segment achieving 405 vehicle sales and a market share of 7.1% (highest segment ranking and market share since launch).
  • ix35 ranked second in the SUV compact segment posting a sales result of 973 units and an 11.2% market share.
  • iMax ranked second in the people mover segment achieving 143 vehicle sales and a market share of 15.2%.
  • iLoad ranked second in the van segment after posting a sales result of 407 units and a market share of 26.2% (first in the van segment YTD).

 

 

Kia Keeps Making The Hard Yards

  • Record market share in tough climate
  • Demand holds up for key models

Kia Motors Australia has punched in a record monthly market share as the world’s fastest-growing manufacturer continues its month-on-month sales growth in a contacting Australian new car market.

Kia’s April market share of 2.71 per cent is the highest the company has recorded since the formation of the KMAu organisation in 2006.

“That is a wonderful result for Kia in what is, and is likely to remain, a difficult market,” KMAu Chief Operating Officer Tony Barlow said. “It is not only pleasing that we were able to maintain growth in a new car market that is down 8.8 per cent on the same month last year, but the growth was across almost every model in the range.

“There is no doubt the rest of the year will have its own challenges, but with an all-new Rio on the horizon and the promise of a slight freeing-up of supply for the second half of the year it augers well for Kia.”

Cerato was one of the stars of the month with demand for the new hatch pushing sales up more than 48 per cent year-to-date while buyers have also started to rediscover the Rondo compact people mover with a steady 22.7 per cent rise in year-to-date sales.

Kia’s Carnival, the perennial market leader in the large people mover segment, made it business as usual with a 41 per cent share of the market and a healthy 35.4 per cent year-to-date growth.

Other members of the Kia garage to punch above the market rate were Sorento (up 11.9 per cent), Sportage (up 9.3 per cent) and Soul (7.4 per cent increase).

Kia’s latest style hero, the mid-size Optima, continued with demand outstripping supply as has been the case since the car was launched to rave reviews in January.

“Increasingly we are seeing evidence of the purchase of Kia vehicles becoming desire driven rather than simply price driven,” Mr Barlow said. “That has been the case with Sportage, Sorento and Optima in particular _ and with the arrival of the all-new Rio in the second half of the year it is a trend we believe will only gather momentum.”

 

Mazda Maintains Sales Momentum

Mazda Australia has recorded yet another strong performance in April, posting 6,346 new vehicle sales according to official VFACTS figures released today.

Following a record first quarter, Mazda maintained its sales momentum in April to further cement its position as Australia’s top selling full-line vehicle importer with 29,229 new Mazdas sold year-to-date.

Once again, it was the ever popular Mazda2 and Mazda3 that were the star performers.

Posting just over 3,000 sales last month, the Mazda3 has maintained its position as Australia’s top selling car year to date and now holds a 19.2 percent year-to-date segment share.

The Mazda2 was the second best selling light car last month, recording an impressive segment share of 13 percent year-to-date which represents a 3 percentage point increase over the same time last year.

The rest of the Mazda model line-up continued to deliver solid sales, contributing to Mazda’s impressive 9.1 percent year-to-date market share.

Mazda Australia Managing Director, Doug Dickson is pleased with the April results “After a record start to 2011 it is great to see that we have been able to maintain momentum. We’re looking forward to some more strong results in May and June as fresh supplies arrive in time for this key selling period” he said.

 

Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited Posts Record Sales In April

Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited (MMAL) posted an all-time April sales record with 5,281 imported vehicles sold, resulting in a 7.1 percent market share last month.

Trition was the standout performer, posting a sales record for April with 1,840 units across 4×4 and 4×2 models. The Triton 4×4 product line proved popular with 1,245 units, an exceptional growth of 80 percent from April 2010, 14 times greater than the segment growth of 5.7 percent.

Challenger recorded outstanding growth despite a 19.5 percent downturn in the medium SUV segment, posting a 59 percent improvement over April 2010.

Lancer recorded a solid month with 1,468 units while the ASX continues to grow with 477 units.

MMAL continued the all-time records with year-to-date figures of 20,592 for imported vehicle sales in the January to April period, a notable six percent increase on 2010. This increase was in contrast to the total market volume which fell 3.2 percent for the same period.

Vice president of sales, Anthony Casey said he was pleased with the positive sales results for April 2011.

“Mitsubishi ended April with solid sales across the board. Our sales are continuing to build on a consistent basis, proving that our product range meets customer’s needs,” said Casey.

 

TOYOTA EXTENDS LEADERSHIP

Toyota Australia extended its overall market leadership in April with sales 50 per cent higher than any other company, according to official figures released today.

Toyota’s dealer network delivered 13,683 vehicles for the month with strong demand for HiLux (almost 2,900), Corolla (more than 2,450), Camry (more than 1,570) and Yaris (more than 1,160).

April’s result for Toyota was 50.1 per cent – or 4,570 vehicles – better than its nearest rival.

So far this year Australian motorists have bought more than 61,500 Toyota vehicles, giving it a lead of more than 22,900 over the second-placed company.

In April, Toyota’s Camry, Prado, LandCruiser 200 Series, HiLux 4×4, HiLux 4×2, HiAce van and HiAce bus were leaders in their respective segments.

Hybrid Camry was the top-selling hybrid vehicle.

Toyota Australia’s senior executive director sales and marketing David Buttner said the company appreciated the support of the buying public over an extended period.

“Toyota has been the top-selling brand for each of the past 73 months, thanks to our customers who have consistently returned to dealerships for their motoring needs,” he said.

Mr Buttner said the overall new-vehicle market was down on the same period last year, but remained healthy in historical terms.

“There are several factors at play, including the impact of the floods and the fact that households continue to be cautious in borrowing and spending.

“On the plus side, the economic outlook is generally favourable and industries directly affected by the floods are expected to recover and lift production – as well as demand for vehicles – in the months ahead.”