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NEWS
VFACTS FOR FEBRUARY: Faltering mines hurt sales
Are the boom times over in the west? FCAI cites mining states for lower sales in FebruaryFebruary sales figures released by VFACTS today highlight a 3.8 per cent decline from last year's February figure.
To put that in perspective, the sales figure of 86,818 last month meant 3400 fewer vehicles sold throughout Australia than during February 2013. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) argues that a long-expected slow-down in the mining industry has led to the slower sales, with Western Australia buying 12 per cent fewer vehicles and Queensland's market also down, by 5.7 per cent.
Corroborating the FCAI's assertion the mining industry's slower growth is influencing new-car sales, Tony Weber, the Chamber's Executive Director, offered as evidence the 14.5 per cent drop in light commercial vehicle sales for the month – 2567 vehicles of the 3400-unit gap.
In addition to WA and Queensland, Victoria's sales were also down, by 4.1 per cent, which is a significant factor in the sales slump too, occurring in Australia's second largest state, by population.
“We believe the significant decrease in WA, QLD and Victoria, and the sharp decline in light commercial sales are indicative of the slowdown in mining and uncertainty around manufacturing,” Weber was quoted saying in a press release.
SUVS lost ground also, but passenger vehicles mostly held steady. And curiously, large cars actually moved 17.4 per cent ahead of where they were in February 2013, thanks exclusively to Holden's Commodore, which sold over 1000 more cars last month than during the same month a year earlier.
“Australian consumers purchased 17.4 per cent more large passenger cars than in February 2013. They also bought 5.2 per cent more small passenger cars and 3.1 per cent more medium passenger cars,” said Weber.
Slower sales of 169,103 for the first two months of this year mean the market is 6545 sales behind the same period in 2013. According to the FCAI, the market should still reach 1.112 million by the end of this calendar year, on the basis of seasonally adjusted figures.
For the year to date, Toyota remains the leading brand, but Mazda3 (pictured) is the most popular car.
Top selling brands for the year to date are: Toyota (29,846), Mazda (18,582), Holden (17,568), Hyundai (14,954), Ford (13,091), Mitsubishi (8823), Nissan (8711), Volkswagen (8424), Subaru (6172) and Honda (5133). Honda resumed 10th position (from Kia, in January) during the month. Of the top 10 brands, Ford, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Subaru sold fewer cars than for the same period in 2013.
The 10 best selling cars during February were: Mazda3 (3969), Toyota Hilux (3348), Toyota Corolla (3332), Holden Commodore (2777), Hyundai i30 (2372), Toyota Camry (1891), Volkswagen Golf (1780), Mazda CX-5 (1752), Toyota RAV4 (1614) and Hyundai ix35 (1491).
And the 10 best selling cars for the year to date are: Mazda3 (8530), Toyota Corolla (6246), Toyota Hilux (5892), Holden Commodore (5141), Hyundai i30 (4858), Mazda CX-5 (3605), Ford Focus (3429), Volkswagen Golf (3337), Toyota RAV4 (3018) and Hyundai ix35 (2987).
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Written byKen Gratton
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