VFACTS for February: Mazda takes third spot

The Australian new-car market is still struggling to regain its lost momentum in the aftermath of the Queensland floods in January.

For the month of February the market was down 1.6 per cent overall, says the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries. That was the case despite private sales 4.1 per cent above the same period last year, according to VFACTS figures for the month.

In total, the market achieved sales of 80,896 for February -- a 1323-unit shortfall in contrast with February 2010. Chief Executive for the FCAI, Andrew McKellar, was satisfied with the outcome.

"This is a solid result reflecting the strong underlying demand for new vehicles," he was quoted as saying in a press release issued by the FCAI.

"Sales to private customers increased 4.1 per cent during February to total 39,776 units -- outselling business and fleet purchases. This is an encouraging indicator of the market and reflects a strong level of economic confidence.

"Sales in Queensland have recovered slightly and we expect further growth in that state in the coming months as people replace their damaged vehicle."

Ahead of its new Territory and updated FG Falcon, Ford slipped to fourth spot, behind Mazda, during February. Falcon sales have suffered badly for the first two months of the year, selling over 2000 units less than for the same period in 2010. Oddly, the Territory, which is due for a significant update shortly is just 87 units behind where it was last year.

And oddest of all, according to VFACTS figures, Ford's overall sales are up, year on year. All the company's imported product -- even the Escape SUV -- has sold in better numbers this year than for the same period last year. As for Focus, sales of the small car more than doubled in February and year-to-date sales are up by 800 units. Fiesta continues to improve with new variants added to the range since this time last year and even Mondeo sold 735 units last month, which placed it ahead of every other car in its (medium) segment except the Toyota Camry.

On the subject of unexpected results, Hyundai's iLoad (491 sales last month) outsold the Toyota HiAce (463). Other points of interest for the month included Subaru setting a new record for sales of Impreza and Forester. With 1320 Imprezas sold last month the small car was 84.4 per cent ahead of the tally for February 2010. Forester (1221 sales) rose 22.2 per cent and overtook compact SUV champ, Toyota's RAV4.

Holden's Commodore was the top-selling vehicle for the month, with 3829 purchased. Its small-car stablemate, the Cruze, continued to sell strongly (2582 units -- a 24 per cent gain). Suzuki posted 1983 sales last month, of which 1001 were the new Swift. Sales for the importer are up 17 per cent and the company's market share has picked up -- from 2.2 to 2.7 per cent.

The top ten car companies for the year to date were: Toyota (29,421 sales), Holden (18,699), Mazda (14,844), Ford (14,015), Hyundai (13,017), Nissan (10,469), Mitsubishi (9655), Subaru (6830), Volkswagen (5530), Honda (4812). As mentioned already, Ford's sales were up, year to date -- but Mazda's were up by even more. Nissan, Mitsubishi, Subaru and Volkswagen are also posting sales figures ahead of last year's.

The top ten selling cars for the month were: Holden Commodore (3829), Mazda3 (3575), Toyota Hilux (2892), Hyundai i30 (2654), Toyota Corolla (2600), Holden Cruze (2582), Nissan Navara (2207), Mazda2 (1572), Ford Falcon (1572), Mitsubishi Lancer (1561).

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