The Holden Commodore is fighting to retain its title as Australia’s favourite car after slipping to second place in the sales race ahead of the final hurdle of the year: December.
The top-seller for the past 15 years in a row has swapped places six times with the Mazda3 small car in the monthly standings – and only led the market on four individual months.
The pair were separated by just 20 sales at the end of June – in the Mazda’s favour – and have been within striking distance of each other ever since, in what has been the tightest battle in the history of Australian new-car sales.
The Commodore clawed back ground in July, was overtaken by the Mazda3 in August and then overtook its pint-sized nemesis in September and October after a strong-selling Toyota Corolla dented the Mazda3’s small-car dominance in those months.
In November, the Corolla took out top-seller status for the fourth month this year while the Commodore dipped, allowing the Mazda3 slip past to regain the lead in the year-to-date tally.
With just one month remaining, the Commodore and Mazda3 are neck and neck, split by just 301 sales (38,104 to 37,803) in the Mazda’s favour.
Despite the close contest, both brands say they are not going to discount aggressively to claim top spot – and both insist they’re not bluffing.
Holden’s director of sales Philip Brook told motoring.com.au last night: "We always have a red hot go but we’re not going to do anything crazy. The last quarter has been probably a bit tougher for Commodore and the large car segment in general than what we anticipated. We’re not exactly sure as to all the reasons but certainly the fleet side of things has softened off a bit.
"We’ll do our very best [in December] but it’s going to be a pretty close race I reckon. It’s nice bragging rights to say ‘16 years in a row’ … but Commodore’s a brand we’re very proud of and also very protective of."
And it’s got a longer-term future than just December this year… it’s got to keep going for many years to come.
"We’ve got to do what’s right and we’re very focused on profitability as well. You’re not going to blow huge amounts of money just to be number one. Given our recent history, our profitability is our highest priority and that’s what we’re really focused on. Do we want to sell a lot of cars? Yes. Will we do it at any cost? Absolutely no way.
"The [Commodore’s] got a future and we’ve got to make sure it has a future. It’s probably the most precious thing we have, the Commodore brand, and we’re very conscious of that.
"We’ve got other brands that are on the rise but we’re not going to do anything crazy just to be able to say, ‘hey, we were number one’. Either way it’ll be hundreds of cars [difference between the two rivals]."
Mazda spokesman Steve Maciver told motoring.com.au the company was not going to push hard in December.
"It’s going to be what it’s going to be," he said. "We can only sell what stock we have. Whether Mazda3 ends up as number one or number two in the country isn’t of great importance to us. We’re delighted with the performance so far this year and with the fact that it is the country’s best selling small car."
When asked how many Mazda3s the company had in stock, he said: "We’re not going to go into how many we have in stock, we just don’t want to go there [disclose that information].
"Our dealers will continue to sell as strongly as they have all year but we’re not in a position to pool any additional stock or to put forward any additional incentives to make sure we end up number one."
Odds are 2011 will be the Holden Commodore’s last time at the top of the sales charts – if it manages to edge ahead. In five decades of Holden versus Ford rivalry, no brand has so dominated the other.
Holden conceded next year would be tougher still as the current generation Commodore stretches into its sixth year on sale. It was due to be replaced by an all-new model by now but instead has received a series of minor facelifts in the wake of declining sales.
However, Brook said there were plans in place to revive Commodore’s appeal, particularly with fleets.
"There are a few initiatives coming for large cars that will help," said Brook. "We haven’t had LPG for the last half of the year … and LPG is a pretty strong opportunity for fleet. The next 12 months is very challenging from our perspective. It has been around a little while, Commodore.
"[But] considering its age and the trend to downsizing, to be neck and neck with the Mazda3 is a pretty strong effort."
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