VFacts January 2014

[PepeLePew]

I'll wait for Feb sales thanks Then consider casting doom and gloom

[SpinX8]

Does anyone have a way to get the full data? ie - what percentage of Toyota's, Holden's, Ford's and Hyundai's were booked as demos, sold as rental, or given to employees - I'd bet it will interesting to see whose figures have been artificially inflated to make sales look better than the reality. That said, Ford figures are depressing as their cars are great.

[Brazen]

Two compact SUVs have broken into the top 10...... It begins.

[I6DOHC]

Mondeo=???

Jan is always bad but not good at all for local content all round. Sad days as we start the transition to becoming the worlds concierge.

[imugli]

Originally Posted by I6DOHC

Mondeo=???

Jan is always bad but not good at all for local content all round. Sad days as we start the transition to becoming the worlds concierge.

Mondeo would have been 2/5 of you-know-what. Cannot get them due to factory shutting down in Europe, then swap over to new model which we aren't getting now until early '15, some 3 years after it's launch in US. By that time it'll be due for a facelift...

[Syndrome]

Originally Posted by BHDOGS

its quite a clever move by ford to cut of falcon and start again entirely with new cars. It needed to happen to drop the negative image stupid people in australia have of ford. And will be a resounding success in years to come.

You are being sarcastic?

[johnydep]

Holden Commodore sales surged in January, up 43 per cent on the same period last year, latest figures show.

Sales of the Holden cruze were up 9 per cent.

While Holden enjoyed a burst of activity, overall new car sales in South Australia slumped 14 per cent.

Nationally, January’s sales figures were down 3.7 per cent on January 2013.

Holden’s spokesman Phil Brook said strong sales of the Colorado range, Trax and VF Commodore built on the sales momentum Holden gained in the second half of 2013.

“Holden had a strong second half of 2013, with our sales volumes up 17.4 percent in the second half of 2013, compared to the first half of 2013,” Brook said.

“This positive sales trend has continued into 2014. We grew our market share both year on year and compared to December 2013. We also continued our trend of outperforming the market, with Holden sales growing by nearly one percent in a market down almost three percent year on year.

“Our dealers continue to tell us the VF Commodore is wowing buyers with its build quality, refinement and world-class technology.

“Demand for our SS V, SS V Redline and Calais V models continues to outstrip supply which is a nice problem to have.”

Australians bought 82,285 vehicles in January 2014, 3.7 per cent less than in January 2013.

Releasing the VFACTS figures for January 2014, Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries Chief Executive Tony Weber said New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory saw 3.4 and 2.4 per cent growth, respectively, while Western Australia and South Australia were down significantly—both over 14 per cent.

“Amid declining sales across the majority of segments, small SUV’s continued to be a popular choice. Sales in this segment reached 6,146 in January 2014, which is a 17.6 per cent increase on January 2013 small SUV sales,” Weber said.

The Mazda3 was the top selling car, with 4,561 vehicles sold. This was a significant 36 per cent increase on January 2013 sales. The Mazda3 was followed by the Toyota Corolla (Australia’s top selling car in 2013) with 2,914 sales. The Toyota Hilux was the third best seller with 2,544 sales. The Hyundai i30 was fourth with 2,486 and the Holden Commodore was fifth with 2,364.

Among the top ten, the Volkswagen Golf recorded a 71 per cent increase in sales compared to January 2013, reaching 1,590 (ninth position). The Holden Commodore also recorded a 43 per cent increase.

Following a continuous decline in government purchases in 2013, sales to government rose a total of 8.9 per cent in January 2014.

This growth was largely in the passenger motor vehicle segment, which was up 26.2 per cent compared to January 2013. Government purchases in the light commercial category rose 2.2 per cent and purchases of SUVs decreased by 8.4 per cent.

Business sales were down by a total of 7.8 percent.

The most significant decline was in the light commercial category, where sales were down 26.1 per cent. Purchases of SUVs were also down (11.5 per cent). However, business purchases in the passenger motor vehicle category rose 8 per cent.

Total private sales figures remained consistent with January 2013 figures. The growth in private purchases of light commercials continued, with sales up 10.8 per cent compared to January 2013. Sales of SUVs to private buyers also increased, with sales 3.9 per cent higher than in January 2013. Private purchases of passenger motor vehicles declined by 4.1 per cent.

Toyota was the top selling brand in January 2014, with 13,646 sales. Toyota was followed by Mazda (9,411), Holden (8,871), Hyundai (7,152) and Ford (6,804).

Toyota will decide the future of its Melbourne assembly plant later this year.

*State-by-state figures of Holden sales were not available

http://indaily.com.au/business/2014/...surge-january/

[uranium_death]

I still don't understand why people have abandoned the Falcon so heavily. It's one of the most underappreciated vehicles in the past five years.

If I was a millionaire, I would gladly have a brand new one in the garage - I'd buy several - for parents (their VTII is sort of old and rattly), and a few friends too...

Colorado is a value-driven vehicle - it fails compared to other options.
I didn't like the look of the Trax either, but Holden could release a car called the "Holden ****" and as long as it looked pretty and has a few whiz-bang features, people will flock.

The new Mazda 3 looks brilliant on the outside though. Though the interior I assume is a dividing factor, they've taken a strong-selling car and made it more appealing on the outside. They've done it well - no surprise, especially up against the vanilla-Corolla.

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by uranium_death

I still don't understand why people have abandoned the Falcon so heavily. It's one of the most underappreciated vehicles in the past five years.

I think the question is really what does the Falcon (and Commodore) have that makes it far superior to other models?
What would make it a better option for the average buyer?

i.e. Family of 5 why would they choose Falcon over Territory or equivalent SUV?
Why would a young young couple choose a Falcon over a hatch (focus, 3, etc)?

Really I think the issue has been all makes (Ford included) have brought out such a diverse range of cars that can accommodate just about everyone.
Towing used to be the thing for sedans, seeing Falcodores dragging their bottoms on the ground, front pointed up towing a boat or float. Now you have crew cab utes, SUVs and 4x4s doing that job, and to be honest a better job of it.

Hatches and small cars now can carry and seat comfortably 4 adults and luggage. Most of the time there is only one or two people in the car therefore no need for a large car.

Ford and Holden left the sedan out to dry, only with the VF has the sedan grown up a bit but still they really are playing to a very niche market and what makes it worse is there are other sedans out there vying for that same market.

[russellw]

The first set of graphical statistics is now uploaded into the Tech portal.

Cheers
Russ

[russellw]

.. and the Supplementary Statistics are also completed now.

Cheers
Russ

[unkey]

I would like to see detailed figures for Ford,Holden,Honda,Toyota,Mazda ,and Volkswagen,please ...

[russellw]

FORD

Ford EcoSport 27
Ford Falcon 461
Ford Falcon Ute 237
Ford Fiesta 963
Ford Focus 2,074
Ford Kuga 496
Ford Mondeo 201
Ford Ranger 4X2 373
Ford Ranger 4X4 1,244
Ford Territory 681
Ford Transit 6
Ford Transit Heavy 41

[russellw]

HOLDEN

Holden Barina 841
Holden Barina Spark 92
Holden Caprice 106
Holden Captiva 5 376
Holden Captiva 7 993
Holden Colorado 4X2 269
Holden Colorado 4X4 1,174
Holden Colorado 7 127
Holden Commodore 2,364
Holden Cruze 1,395
Holden Malibu 106
Holden Trax 588
Holden Utility 4X2 436
Holden Volt 4

[russellw]

MAZDA

Mazda BT-50 4X2 351
Mazda BT-50 4X4 625
Mazda CX-5 1,853
Mazda CX-9 336
Mazda MX5 12
Mazda2 1,184
Mazda3 4,561
Mazda6 489

[russellw]

TOYOTA

Toyota 86 448
Toyota Aurion 175
Toyota Camry (4 cyl) 1,007
Toyota Coaster 24
Toyota Corolla 2,914
Toyota FJ Cruiser 142
Toyota Hiace Bus 135
Toyota Hiace Van 454
Toyota Hilux 4X2 793
Toyota Hilux 4X4 1,751
Toyota Kluger 868
Toyota Landcruiser PU/CC 383
Toyota Landcruiser Wagon 639
Toyota Prado 1,024
Toyota Prius 45
Toyota Prius C 153
Toyota Prius V 64
Toyota RAV4 1,404
Toyota Rukus 24
Toyota Tarago 96
Toyota Yaris 1,103

[naddis01]

How long has the Ecosport been on sale? 27 doesn't seem like many even if it is only the Titanium available at this stage.

[csv8]

Originally Posted by naddis01

How long has the Ecosport been on sale? 27 doesn't seem like many even if it is only the Titanium available at this stage.

Since December 2013...compare Trax to Ecosport..Trax LTZ has sat nav, Stitcher, Pandora etc as standard for the same price as Titanium...sat nav should be in Titanium...
Old model Mondeo nearly double Malibu sales..thats good...

[russellw]

Originally Posted by naddis01

How long has the Ecosport been on sale? 27 doesn't seem like many even if it is only the Titanium available at this stage.

It sold 128 in December last year (the first month on sale).

Cheers
Russ

[MrZ]

Originally Posted by PepeLePew

I'll wait for Feb sales thanks Then consider casting doom and gloom

Feb is the shortest month so it will likely be even worse than January.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by naddis01

How long has the Ecosport been on sale? 27 doesn't seem like many even if it is only the Titanium available at this stage.

Probably still awaiting an auto version of Ecoboost 1.0 - very important for our market....

[unkey]

Thank you very much Russell,can you please also publish Honda and Volkswagen figures.
Many thanks,best regards.

[Iggle Piggle]

So 1371 local units for the month, meaning they need sell (or register) a further 28629 locally produced units this year to reach that 30000 units per annum. That means they need average just over 2602 local units per month from Feb through Dec (near double Jan).

I get that Jan is usually a slow month, but it is fair to expect a bit of a slow-down in the month or two prior to the new model later this year...so what are the real ramifications of not reaching 30k local units for the year?

If it is a case of reach 30k no matter what, what can/will they do to get there? I'm assuming not hitting 30k is not that dramatic, as doesn't the re-balance of production now make that impossible?

Not a troll - legitimate question as I wasn't aware of the 30k per year requirement until those couple of posts in the Dec VFacts thread.

[MrZ]

They didn't reach 30k last year (fell short by a few hundred). Didn't seem to matter.

[Iggle Piggle]

Cheers MrZ, and just realised figures in my post don't include cars sent to Un Zud.

[naddis01]

Originally Posted by MrZ

They didn't reach 30k last year (fell short by a few hundred). Didn't seem to matter.

I thought that they did after you include the few exports.

[bobthebilda]

Originally Posted by MrZ

They didn't reach 30k last year (fell short by a few hundred). Didn't seem to matter.

30,000 cars a year is a very critical number. Ford would have made it last year thanks to exports. If a car maker makes less than 30,000 cars a year, the fail the criteria for the government assistance programs. Same with parts makers, they must supply parts for 30,000 cars. The difference between 29999 and 30,001 cars a year would lead to the loss of 10's of millions of dollars for Ford. The same with ford only suppliers. And you can bet the Abbott government wont bend the rules for anyone.

[Iggle Piggle]

So if they are going to reduce production to about 1800-1900 units per month won't that make it impossible to hit 30000 units for the year?

[Spammy]

Anyone have a memory good enough to recall the dying days of the 380? Script was very similar.

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by PepeLePew

I'll wait for Feb sales thanks Then consider casting doom and gloom

Of course Jan sales are always low. But let's be honest, we're past the point of doom and gloom. Doom and gloom was years ago, back when Falcon would sell under 2k units in January and people were losing their minds. But my God, 461 units, January or not, that's scary. Who thought we'd ever see the day when Fiesta outsold Falcon by double, Focus outsold Falcon by more than 4 to 1 and Commodore romped it in, outselling Falcon by 5 to 1. Even the niche Toyota 86 moved more units than Falcon last month. And to think that FH is still 9 months away. I guess this is what happens when you leave a model like FG on the market with minimal changes for 6 years straight. Then there's the poor old Territory which is heading into its 10th anniversary this year, still using the same body, seats & door trims (among other things like suspension) that it had when it first rolled off the line in 2004. By the time they put it to rest, one generation of Territory will have faced off against 3 generations of Kluger in the marketplace, that's a long run! This isn't a complaint (although I'm not going to pretend that I'm not a little disappointed with Ford for dropping the ball), I'm just amazed at how things have turned out.