High end Aussie muscle sells

This week's HSV announcement that October 2006 was a record month for Holden's premium performance car company would have come as no surprise to CarPoint readers. Virtually from the new E Series release, CarPoint has been monitoring HSV sales and reporting the company's progress in its shift upmarket. As FPV is also facing a similar sales surge, HSV sales success has been achieved without cannibalising its Blue Oval rival.

It lends credence to HSV Managing Director Phil Harding's claim that the two companies are no longer direct rivals. More than 490 HSV retail deliveries were registered in Australia and New Zealand in October, well above the previous monthly record of 436 (December 2004). This is during a period of record decline in the Australian large car segment.

"Demand is set to continue based on incoming orders. October was also a record month for production, with 515 cars dispatched to dealers. We have increased production by 50 per cent to keep pace with demand," reported Harding.

The August launch of the new E Series HSV range was commemorated with special HSV soccer balls with scores showing Australia - 1, Germany - 0. In a blatant comparison with German rivals spanning the $77,000 to $326,000 price range, HSV claimed "a victory for Price, Performance and Magnetic Ride Control" when its most lavish model peaked at $76,990.

Although the promotion bordered on the banal, it appears that the strategy has worked: "We're seeing owners of premium European models switching across to the E Series based on the extraordinary value, level of performance and high-end specifications across all three vehicles," according to Harding.

HSV's biggest remaining challenge is to clear what's left of the previous Z Series range and Coupe models without burning previous owners which may prove impossible when both Holden and HSV have turned earlier value for money benchmarks upside down with their new ranges.

Meanwhile in the Blue Oval corner, an FPV spokesman confirmed that its new range-topping Force 6 and Force 8 models released only 10 days ago have already generated 71 orders against a projected annual production run of 220. FPV has to increase production to meet the demand. Unlike the very Germanic, technical feel of the new HSV range, FPV has returned to traditional lashings of woodgrain and leather in its new model.

A big hit has been FPV's blood red leather option and the return to traditional colours such as a British racing green with many dealers ordering the cars for themselves. CarPoint has also been told that Bill Ford drove one of the new FPV Force models on his recent visit to Ford Australia Head Office. Original sales projections were for the F6 turbocharged six-cylinder Force 6 to share equal billing with the Force 8 Boss 290 V8 model but orders for the Force 8 model are running at 60 per cent of the total mix.

The flourishing sales of both the HSV and FPV ranges suggest that the Australian large car ranges may have a steadier future catering for the top end of the market. Holden also continues to report record orders for its premium models, a trend that is likely to emerge in Ford sales as the new BF Mark II Fairmont Ghia hits the showrooms. If these local models can stem the sales of imports as now seems to be happening, Harding's closing remarks are pertinent: "This early local success gives us great confidence for the overseas export potential of both the E Series and other vehicle opportunities."