The continuing sales decline of traditional passenger vehicles has been well documented in recent years, but one of the more defiant segments is the sub-$25,000 light-car class that is down just five per cent to September this year, despite a multitude of model retirements or moves upmarket.
One of the stalwarts of this sub-compact segment is the Kia Rio, which blends competitive pricing with industry-leading aftersales care.
That attractive positioning is further strengthened when Kia rolls out a special like the one being offered on the 2022 Kia Rio S automatic at the moment – the base model of the Rio range.
Usually retailing from $21,990 plus on-road costs, the self-shifting Rio can currently be had for $22,990 drive-away – a saving of up to $2400 depending on which state or territory the car’s purchased in.
Using WA and its higher on-road costs as a reference point, a $2400 saving equates to a near 10 per cent discount off the Rio S automatic’s usual drive-away price, with the $3400 being bundled into one budget-friendly $1000 premium.
Meantime, Mitsubishi is doing something similar with its brand-new 2022 Mitsubishi ASX GS automatic at the moment, in that the on-road costs only amount to $1750 rather than the usual $3500-$4000.
This is a clever move by the triple-diamond brand given the GS is the new entry point for the ASX range and doesn’t have the same market exposure (yet) as its stablemates.
The flipside is that it hasn’t actually arrived on Aussie soil yet and won’t for at least another month or so.
As we’ve discussed before in previous deal hunters, a lot of Aussies need or want something substantially bigger than a light hatch or compact SUV, which is where the 2022 Isuzu D-MAX X-Terrain automatic and its $64,990 drive-away promotional pricing come in.
Not much more can be said about the flagship D-MAX than what’s already been covered in previous editions, but there’s no getting around or ignoring the circa-$10,000 saving that the promo pricing nets buyers over the $67,500 plus on-roads retail price.