VFACTS for November: SUVs pull their weight
Territory the surprise strongman in November as market builds to a million plusSUVs and light trucks offset a general downturn in passenger vehicles during November, for an overall market increase of 1.5 per cent, according to new figures released today by VFACTS.
A surprisingly large component of the heavy lifting has come from Ford's Territory (pictured). With 1776 sales for the month and 12,517 for the year to date, the Ford has contributed nearly two thirds of the nett gain in SUV sales for the month and is 1818 units ahead for the year, in a market segment (medium SUVs) that has actually reversed on itself by 4577 units. The Territory is not only the largest-selling SUV (including compact SUVs) for the month, it's also ahead of any other SUV for the year to date. That diesel jigger seems to be doing some good...
In a total market for the month of 88,654 new vehicles, SUV sales (20,806) were up 3376 units year on year. By contrast, passenger vehicles (46,712) were down 2693 units for the month. Light trucks, at 15,163 units sold during November were 495 sales ahead of the same month last year. For the year to date, the total market (including heavy commercials) is running 23,009 sales or 2.4 per cent ahead of the same period for 2010.
That amounts to a figure of 925,978 for 2011, with one month still to run. It's a positive result in a year beset by natural disasters in the two Asian car-making countries that supply the highest volumes of vehicles to Australia: Japan and Thailand. Those two events (earthquake and tsunami in Japan, floods in Thailand) have held the market back and the final 2011 figure is unlikely to improve on the 2010 sales total, but the market is set to exceed a million vehicles sold and — with sales for the last four months outstripping sales for the same period in 2010 — the outlook for 2012 is looking brighter.
“For the past four months in a row sales have been trending above the same period for 2010. This suggests improving consumer confidence in Australia’s economic prospects,” said FCAI chief executive Ian Chalmers.
“Many car brands have been proactive in appealing to car buyers by offering lower prices, improved equipment and low finance rates. Consumers are responding positively to the value that is widely on offer.
“The flood in Thailand which continues to affect some car factories located there and the lingering after-effects of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami have played a part in limiting supplies of some popular models.
“Assuming the current trends carry through December we are confident that total annual sales will exceed one million for only the fourth time in Australia’s history.”
Mazda had reason to celebrate the publication of the November VFACTS figures, with the importer posting a new record for November. 8031 vehicles sold for the month beat the company's previous November best by 1437 units. That one month lift alone contributed 45 per cent of the 3197 extra vehicles Mazda has sold into the Australian market this year. Year to date increases have come from the Mazda2, Mazda3 and BT-50 models; and Mazda anticipates the Mazda2 will finish the year as the top-selling light car in the market. Sales have been enhanced by additional stock reaching the retail front as the Japanese and Thai factories have recovered their footings, in what Mazda MD Doug Dickson had previously forecast would be a "bloodbath" for dealers.
"With Mazda sales and customer awareness at record levels, we are pleased to be recording growth in what still remains a challenging market,“ said Dickson.
“December will see strong competition across all segments but we are confident that with strong sales numbers already behind us so far this year that 2011 will set another benchmark for Mazda Australia.”
Top selling brands for the year to date are: Toyota (166,046), Holden (115,902), Ford (84,519), Mazda (80,985), Hyundai (80,150), Nissan (61,941), Mitsubishi (56,348), Volkswagen (41,126), Subaru (31,908) and Honda (28,115). Only Mazda, Hyundai, Nissan and Volkswagen remain ahead of their sales aggregate up to November in 2010.
The best selling cars during the month of November were: Toyota Corolla (3731), Mazda3 (3480), Toyota Hilux (3332), Holden Commodore (2808), Holden Cruze (2393), Hyundai i30 (2167), Ford Territory (1776), Toyota Yaris (1764), Nissan Navara (1653) and Toyota RAV4 (1577).
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