VFACTS May 2010

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by irlewy86

i45 could be a real hit. Saw a couple on a tow truck obviously heading for the magic mile and thought Mercedes had released a new CLS.

I was going to mention that, the TV add looks pretty slick!

[Paxton]

Originally Posted by Polyal

I was going to mention that, the TV add looks pretty slick!

Hyundai is becoming a power house in terms of cars. It is little wonder why Toyota are scared of them.

Their new designs, however... That ix35 is ugly, and the new Sonata isn't that much better.

Good month for Falcon, I just hope Territory and Ute can pull Ford above 5500 for the month.

[Brazen]

Hyundai is a good buy at the moment for the future, their cars are feature packed, high quality and offer good value, and in 5 years time when you trade it in or sell, their image would have improved to the point where the market would give it Toyota levels of resale.

[Paxton]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Hyundai is a good buy at the moment for the future, their cars are feature packed, high quality and offer good value, and in 5 years time when you trade it in or sell, their image would have improved to the point where the market would give it Toyota levels of resale.

Hearts and minds still need to be changed. I think it will take longer than five years to get the Toyota buyers (and me) to consider switching to a Hyundai. That being said, I drove a Mate's i30 Wagon last week, and was quite impressed. I still wouldn't buy one, but I won't buy another Toyota either.

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by Paxton

Hearts and minds still need to be changed. I think it will take longer than five years to get the Toyota buyers (and me) to consider switching to a Hyundai. That being said, I drove a Mate's i30 Wagon last week, and was quite impressed. I still wouldn't buy one, but I won't buy another Toyota either.

Spot on, car purchases are just as much emotional as they are rational. No matter how good Hyundais are, its going to take a while to get people think of them in that way.

I think that Australia in 2015 will be viewing Hyundais in a much better light than what we view them now in 2010. But maybe im being a bit overzealous in suggesting they would be at Toyota level.

[vztrt]

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...257737001D3586

Private buyers flock to showrooms

Record May as SUV sales jump 29 per cent, despite easing of business demand

3 June 2010

By RON HAMMERTON

THE Australian new-vehicle industry posted record May sales of 89,218 units as private buyers helped to drive up volumes by 18.3 per cent over the same month last year, eclipsing the previous best May, in 2008, by 578 vehicles.

Sport utility vehicles (SUVs) again led the charge, up 28.9 per cent, with sales of the family friendly compact and medium off-roaders both climbing more than 30 per cent.

Year to date, the Australian market is up 19.9 per cent and on track to comfortably smash back through the million-unit mark by December 31.

Mitsubishi was a winner in May, with sales of its Lancer small car doubling from 1188 units in May last year to 2368 last month, helping the Adelaide-based importer to a whopping 46.4 per cent overall sales gain for the month.

Sales of its SUVs, the Outlander and Pajero, leaped by 80 and 57 per cent respectively.

Toyota retained its crown with 17,832 sales – up 15.2 per cent on May last year, buoyed by a 52.6 per cent jump in Prado SUV sales, making it the nation’s top-selling SUV in May, and a 45 per cent gain in Camry volumes, thanks partly to incremental volume from the new hybrid variant.

However, second-placed Holden edged closer, its 11,381 sales in May representing a 24.2 per cent year-on-year gain – the best of the top three players.

Holden’s gain was largely driven by its Korean imports, with sales of its hot-selling Captiva doubling to 1411 units – trouncing Ford’s Territory (1056 vehicles) – and Cruze small car (2484) having its best month.

Aided by a 33 per cent rise in sales of its Fiesta light car, Ford increased its monthly volume by 6.9 per cent, to 9022 units, but nevertheless lost a little more ground to the market leaders.

The battle of the importers in May was won by Mazda, which came fourth overall with 6928 sales (up 14.5 per cent), beating rising star Hyundai’s 6378 units (up 23.2 per cent).

So far this year, however, Hyundai sales have risen 55.5 per cent, even though its new i45 mid-sizer is yet to make a significant mark and the i20 light car is still to come.

Nissan and Mitsubishi are locked in their own battle for sixth place this year, and despite Mitsubishi’s sterling sales lift last month, it still could not catch Nissan, which rode a 26.9 per cent sales increase to 5814 units, driven by improved demand for its small fry – Dualis (up 270 per cent) and Micra (up 58.4 per cent) – and X-Trail compact SUV (up 86.7 per cent).

Subaru - whose 3610 units (up 21.8 per cent) was a May record for the company - pipped long-time rival Honda (3508 vehicles, up 10 per cent), thanks to fresh models in the Subaru line-up compared with the ageing range in Honda showrooms.

Subaru and Honda, however, may have to start looking over their shoulder, as top German importer Volkswagen is fast approaching, up 27.6 per cent in May to 3332 units.

Australia’s top-selling car again was Holden’s Commodore (3899), ahead of Toyota’s HiLux (3665) and Ford’s Falcon, which crept back up the leader board with a 14.5 per cent gain in volume, to 3258 units for the month.

Despite a commendable 45 per cent sales increase over May 2009, Toyota’s locally made Camry’s 1966 sales was only good enough to just squeak into the top 10, trailing vehicles such as the Mazda3, Holden Cruze, Hyundai i30, Mitsubshi Lancer and Nissan Navara.

Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) CEO Andrew McKellar said the May market showed that the industry was maintaining strong sales momentum.

“It is encouraging to note that private buyers have returned in larger numbers during May taking over some of the momentum that business buyers have provided over the past year,” he said.

Business demand for light commercial vehicles fell 2.1 per cent in May, reflecting the demise of the federal governments tax depreciation incentives for businesses that were in play at this time last year.

Overall, vehicle sales to businesses were up 4.9 per cent – well behind gains of 27.2 per cent in private sales, 17.8 per cent by government and 128 per cent by rental companies.

Year to date, Toyota sales are up 18.4 per cent, Holden has gained 24.6 per cent and Ford has lifted 8.1 per cent.
Top 10 brands May 2010:
1. Toyota 17,832
2. Holden 11,381
3. Ford 9022
4. Mazda 6928
5. Hyundai 6378
6. Nissan 5814
7. Mitsubishi 5742
8. Subaru 3610
9. Honda 3501
10. Volkswagen 3332

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Spot on, car purchases are just as much emotional as they are rational. No matter how good Hyundais are, its going to take a while to get people think of them in that way.

I think that Australia in 2015 will be viewing Hyundais in a much better light than what we view them now in 2010. But maybe im being a bit overzealous in suggesting they would be at Toyota level.

They don't have to.
It's Toyota that has to decide whether it wants to be a fleet player or move up market like Ford...

[vztrt]

http://www.caradvice.com.au/69661/ne...ures-may-2010/

New Vehicle Sales Figures May 2010
By Alborz Fallah | June 3rd, 2010

Sales data for the month of May has been released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) today and the news for the industry appears good on all fronts.



Last month saw 89,218 SUV, passenger and commercial vehicles sold, an increase of 18.3 per cent (13,777 vehicles) compared to May 2009. In fact it even beats the previous record for May (set in 2008) by 578 units.

“This is a record May result and shows the new vehicle market is maintaining a strong sales momentum, all vehicle segments increased during the month, demonstrating a genuine recovery in the marketplace,” FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar said.

Those that thought SUVs would be a thing of the past by 2010 can skip over the following sentence. The SUV segment gained the most ground last month, up 28.9 per cent. Passenger cars managed a 19.4 percent increase.

“It is encouraging to note that private buyers have returned in larger numbers during May (up 27.2%) taking over some of the momentum that business buyers have provided over the past year,” Mr McKellar said.

The leaders were once again Toyota which sold 17,832 vehicles (20 percent marketshare), followed by Holden (11,381, 12.8 percent) and Ford (9,022 – 10.1 per cent).

So far this year Australians have bought 422,446 new vehicles, a massive increase of 19.9 percent over the same year-to-date period last year. Current trends predict another million-milestone year for the industry.

1 Toyota 17832
2 Holden 11381
3 Ford 9022
4 Mazda 6928
5 Hyundai 6378
6 Nissan 5814
7 Mitsubishi 5742
8 Subaru 3610
9 Honda 3508
10 Volkswagen 3332
11 Suzuki 2260
12 Kia 2034
13 Mercedes-Benz 2004
14 BMW 1501
15 Audi 1109
16 Great Wall 581
17 Jeep 563
18 Peugeot 524
19 Lexus 484
20 Land Rover 433
21 Volvo Car 407
22 Isuzu Ute 361
23 MINI 176
24 Citroen 160
25 Dodge 134
26 Skoda 119
27 Fiat 110
28 Proton 110
29 Chrysler 109
30 Renault 91
31 Ssangyong 86
32 Alfa Romeo 85
33 Jaguar 85
34 Porsche 72
35 Smart 15
36 Maserati 14
37 Aston Martin 13
38 Ferrari 7
39 Hummer 5
40 Lotus 5
41 Lamborghini 4
42 Bentley 3
43 Morgan 0
44 Rolls-Royce 0
45 Saab 0

[Paxton]

Originally Posted by jpd80

They don't have to.
It's Toyota that has to decide whether it wants to be a fleet player or move up market like Ford...

I know which way they're going John, and it isn't upmarket.

They're going to enter a war of attrition with Hyundai, that they may not win. Ford and to a lesser extent Holden should be insulated because of their niche products, but it is worrying that Ford is the Falcon car company. Their only shining light from the imports side is Fiesta, and that is because they have fought tooth and nail for every car. Focus is outclassed by the new Mazda3 and Golf, Mondeo is a great car, but it couldn't get arrested, and Ranger, although it has moved up, is still behind HiLux, Triton and Navara. Don't get me started on how they lost a 25 year contract with Australia post to Mercedes.

Holden should be worried. Ford are making a profit on their Operations locally, with smaller volumes, yet are catching up with Falcon, the new Territory is almost here, as is Coyote. The back end of 2010, and the beginning of 2011 is going to be interesting.

[Smoke Pursuit]

What about the massive numbers of demos manufacturers are trying to entice dealers to register???

[jpd80]

Territory 1056

[buggerlugs]

Would it be fair to say the Cruze is stealing a lot of Commodore sales ?

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by buggerlugs

Would it be fair to say the Cruze is stealing a lot of Commodore sales ?

Not really, small car segment is growing and Holden finally have a car that buyers like.
Focus and Mondeo may be great cars but buyers are staying away in droves.....

[dannyhilton]

While I'm happy with the Falcon sales, I just hope next month they don't slide downwards with all these cheap demos being registered. Really excited with the overall Ford sales thou, what a great result, well above Mazda which is great! Bring on the model breakdown.

[Dr Smith]

Originally Posted by Paxton

Don't get me started on how they lost a 25 year contract with Australia post to Mercedes.

That's a little harsh considering Oz Post wanted auto's and it's not available in the current model Transit, thus they never had a chance of keeping the business.

[russellw]

The first set of our graphical data is uploaded in the Tech area and can be found HERE

Cheers
Russ

[ltd]

Originally Posted by irlewy86

i45 could be a real hit. Saw a couple on a tow truck obviously heading for the magic mile and thought Mercedes had released a new CLS.

Agree 100%. I've seen a few of them placed strategically in locked up carparks next to main roads and I thought it was a new mercedes too.

[uranium_death]

The i45 for me is a landmark vehicle for Hyundai.
It is one of the first Hyundais that looks bloody good.
It's not a good driving car so they still have a way to go, but cosmetically, it is a breakthrough for Hyundai.

Good job with the Falcon too. Be great if the momentum could remain eternally...

[Joe5619]

Looking at the numbers in the tech area, Ford again sold more locally built cars for the month!!

Ford: 5179 (3258 + 865 + 1056)
Holden: 5056 (3899 + 1009 + 34 + 114)

That makes it 2 months in a row!!



Am I the only one who thinks the i45 is but angly??

[ST]

Originally Posted by Polyal

I was going to mention that, the TV add looks pretty slick!

The ad is brilliant! Very class looking car, Hyundai have really stepped up their game in every way recently. While i'm certainly not in the market for one it will be good to see what the i45 looks like on the road.

Great news for the blue oval too, i'd love to see the Falcon beat out the Commodore when they hit the 50th Anniversary even if it's just for a month. It is well deserved by now.

[aualright]

I'm really chuffed that the so-called ageing Territory can beat the Kluger. That is an achievement. In regards to the Captiva, don't see that as a direct competitor.

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by aualright

I'm really chuffed that the so-called ageing Territory can beat the Kluger. That is an achievement. In regards to the Captiva, don't see that as a direct competitor.

That certainly is a miracle in itself, that car to be frank is ancient.

It will be interesting to see what is changed other than the looks, I reckon some people are holding out as its due soon(ish).

If the i45 doesn't do well ill go heave, for its segment its a good car. Dont know how you can say its not good looking even if its not your kind of car.







Loving these new icons.

[Paxton]

Originally Posted by Polyal

That certainly is a miracle in itself, that car to be frank is ancient.

It will be interesting to see what is changed other than the looks, I reckon some people are holding out as its due soon(ish).

Loving these new icons.

It might look ancient, but to be frank, it still drives a damn sight better than the Kluger does. All Ford has to do is get people to drive them, and they sell themselves. At the end of the day, Kluger is just a jacked up Camry with a V6.

Territory, even with its faults, still has a very good name for itself in Australia.

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by Polyal

That certainly is a miracle in itself, that car to be frank is ancient.

It will be interesting to see what is changed other than the looks, I reckon some people are holding out as its due soon(ish).

If the i45 doesn't do well ill go heave, for its segment its a good car. Dont know how you can say its not good looking even if its not your kind of car.







Loving these new icons.

I'll admit it looks nice in those pics & in the TV add, just wait until you see it in front of you.. Looks very average.

[russellw]

The Supplementary Statistical Data has now been uploaded into the Tech Portal.

Cheers
Russ

[Rodp]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

I'll admit it looks nice in those pics & in the TV add, just wait until you see it in front of you.. Looks very average.

Agreed. Saw one on the back of a flatbed, didn't like it at all.

[XD 351 Ute]

Originally Posted by Paxton

All Ford has to do is get people to drive them, and they sell themselves.

Too true that statement. A mate from work just bought a near new Territory, and it was sold when they drove it.

My sister recently went from her Territory to a Hyundai (damn mental blank...) R SUV whatever they are, and had a list a mile long of things she didn't like about it.
But it drives quite well though, and the only thing she's sold on is the fuel economy over the Territory.

I dare say the their next car will be a new Territory when the time comes, and if Ford can do something positive with it's fuel economy, they will sell as many as they can make.

Oh, and if they fix the rust issues, the rear window and the ball joint problems permanently, they'll be on a winner.

Ed

[aualright]

Originally Posted by Polyal

That certainly is a miracle in itself, that car to be frank is ancient.

It will be interesting to see what is changed other than the looks, I reckon some people are holding out as its due soon(ish).

If the i45 doesn't do well ill go heave, for its segment its a good car. Dont know how you can say its not good looking even if its not your kind of car.





Loving these new icons.

Gee...to me it looks bloated, as do many designs atm. It looks like a Toyota to me, which from a design perspective are at the bottom end of the spectrum.

Looks are subjective so to expect people to like it like you do is a little arrogant. As far as bloated cars go, my AU1 XR8 trumps this!

****

[cosmo20btt]

Originally Posted by Polyal

That certainly is a miracle in itself, that car to be frank is ancient.

It will be interesting to see what is changed other than the looks, I reckon some people are holding out as its due soon(ish).

If the i45 doesn't do well ill go heave, for its segment its a good car. Dont know how you can say its not good looking even if its not your kind of car.







Loving these new icons.

Head lights and grille wayyy too big for the car... sorry yet another try hard from Korea.

[Rastas]

i45 looks like too many ideas mish mashed together, dosent quite work for me!