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NEWS
VFACTS for November: Market breaks the million barrier
New market record on the way as Mazda lines up to claim title of best-selling full-line importer everThe Australian new-car market for 2012 has already achieved sales of a million vehicles – with a month still to run.
VFACTS figures for November reveal that the market for the year to date is at 1,016,605 vehicles, not only breaking through the million mark a month before the end of 2012, but also shooting ahead of the same time last year by over 90,000 vehicles. November produced a 10.9 per cent jump in the sales tally to 98,347, for which most market segments lifted their game. In the passenger car class, only large cars sold in fewer numbers than in November 2011. Upper large SUVs were down for the month also, as were light buses and van or cab-chassis models between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes.
Mazda was one of the companies that enjoyed a record month during November. Speaking during the media launch of the new Mazda6, local MD Doug Dickson observed that the importer is looking forward to achieving sales in excess of 100,000 units for this year – the first full-line importer to do so.
"8732 retails makes November 2012 our best November ever," he said, "and our rolling 12-month sales continue to exceed 100,000. In fact we only need 6000 in December to become the first full-line importer to top 100,000 in a calendar year. I reckon that's in the bag.
"We're probably in a position to claim industry third place, ahead of Hyundai and Ford for the year," Mr Dickson also noted, basing his opinion on October VFACTS results. November figures now show that Mazda is nearly 11,000 units ahead of Hyundai, which is not quite a thousand units ahead of Ford. December will need to be a month of energetic selling from Hyundai and Ford for either company to reel in Mazda.
In a Powerpoint presentation for the media, Mr Dickson revealed that the Mazda3 remains the top-selling car in Australia – albeit with Corolla and HiLux "breathing down Mazda3's neck" – and, based on November figures (39,479), is closing in on 40,000 units sold for the year to date.
"Looking at the 10 brands... Toyota, us, Nissan, VW and Subaru are all carding significantly better than the market average... which is 9.7 per cent up. By contrast, Hyundai and Honda have improved, year-on-year, but [are] below average, [with] Holden, Ford and Mitsubishi all experiencing year-on-year reversals."
Mr Dickson made the further point that in the top 10 cars, there were four small cars and three pick-ups, with Toyota bouncing back from last year's natural disasters, to place four models in the top 10. Holden's Commodore and Cruze "appear to be struggling" and there were "no Fords at all in the top 10," Mr Dickson reported.
Even without a full overview of the market for November, the Mazda chief was ready to confirm a new record for 2012 – 1.08 million by the end of the year.
"It's probably close enough now to call the market for 2012, with some degree of accuracy. We're going for a whole year (industry) of 1.08 million – up eight per cent on 2011 – for a new best ever, which will eclipse the 1.05 million [figure] set in 2007."
Mr Dickson believes 2013 will be even stronger still. Oddly enough, he feels the current strength of the market may actually be a consequence of stingier saving practices by Australians, in the post-GFC period.
"Because people are saving, there's this big pool of money and, if you have a compelling value proposition you can prise open the lid and ladle some out. And that's exactly what's happening in the industry right now. All you need is the right product and a compelling value message. I think most manufacturers are giving that this year."
Top selling brands for the year to date are: Toyota (197,007), Holden (105,938), Mazda (94,332), Hyundai (83,792), Ford (82,800), Nissan (72,417), Mitsubishi (54,786), Volkswagen (50,152), Subaru (37,194), Honda (32,193). Aggregate sales for Holden, Ford and Mitsubishi remain lower than for the same period last year. All the other companies in the top 10 have seen sales improve over the same time frame.
Proving that the Corolla nameplate is a licence to print money in Australia, the new generation small car from Toyota was the top-selling car for the month. The 10 best selling cars during the month of November were: Toyota Corolla (4190), Mazda3 (3703), Toyota Camry (3145), Toyota Hilux (3059), Holden Commodore (2659), Ford Ranger (2187), Holden Cruze (2115), Nissan Navara (2057), Holden Colorado (1956), Ford Focus (1920).
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Written byKen Gratton
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