V-facts July 2009

[Road_Warrior]

Actually I think those ute sales for both Falcon and Comm0dore are pretty bloody ordinary. Perhaps if the RTV was still available it could have added an extra hundred units or so to the bottom line.

And as for the Territory and the Focus - ergh. What the hell is going on there? The Kluger/Prado tag team is absolutely pasting the Territory, and the Escape - they need a replacement for that car, ASAP

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

Actually I think those ute sales for both Falcon and Comm0dore are pretty bloody ordinary. Perhaps if the RTV was still available it could have added an extra hundred units or so to the bottom line.

And as for the Territory and the Focus - ergh. What the hell is going on there? The Kluger/Prado tag team is absolutely pasting the Territory, and the Escape - they need a replacement for that car, ASAP

They have one in the Kuga, they just don't sell it here yet. Hopefully that will change soon as its a ripper.

Focus has absolutely bombed. Fiesta nearly outsold it, its doing pretty well, they are selling all they can get of them.

[Eaturbo]

look at the new cruze near 2000 units. Alot of demos and intial sales to get started

[R-Design]

Toyota's almost 20% down on this time last year and they're still dominating. Look at those Aurion numbers, unbelievable.

[csv8]

FORD need to market the cars !! new ads are in the right direction. But Falcon sales are down, compared to this time last year !! what is going on ???

[Dave R]

Fiesta still sold more than Barina.. there is a God afterall. Cruze has had an epic start, imagine how many units they'll be pushing when they start marketing them as "made in Australia"!

[whynot]

The Ford Focus and the Mazda 3 are effectively the same car. Yet, Mazda 3 is absolutely pasting the Focus. Ford clearly have good vehicles. So, what is going on here ...

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Adrenaline

Fiesta still sold more than Barina.. there is a God afterall. Cruze has had an epic start, imagine how many units they'll be pushing when they start marketing them as "made in Australia"!

The adds make it sound like it already is made here.

[vztrt]

Hyundai drives up the sales charts

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...2576090028C662

65 per cent sales jump propels Hyundai to fourth of July

By RON HAMMERTON 5 August 2009

THE rise and rise of Hyundai in the Australian car market continued in July, when sales of the Korean company’s cars leapt 65.6 per cent over the same month last year to 6226 vehicles, according to VFACTS figures released today.

While the overall market slipped 10.3 per cent year-on-year to 75,333 vehicles, with most of the major car-makers and importers recording a sales deficit over July 2008, Hyundai powered up the charts on the back of strong sales of its small and light cars, light commercial vehicles and SUVs.

Hyundai trailed only the three local car-makers - Toyota, Holden and Ford - as it recorded its highest monthly sales ranking, fourth, by pipping Mazda (6024).

And for the second month in a row, Hyundai out-sold Ford in passenger car sales – 4715 units to 4647 – to grab third place behind Toyota and Holden.

A potential industry sales hangover from an end-of-financial-year buying rush in June largely failed to materialise, with order backlogs helping to minimise the damage.

However, several business fleet favourites did suffer, with the Holden Commodore (down 21.4 per cent on July 2008), the Ford Falcon (-17.7 per cent), Toyota Corolla (-13.1 per cent) and Toyota Camry (-10.2 per cent) taking a hit.

Light commercial vehicle sales slipped 20 per cent on July last year – and down by almost half on July’s bumper sales crop.

By contrast, sales of small cars popular with private buyers powered on regardless, with the heavily advertised Mitsubishi Lancer up 56 per cent, Hyundai i30 rocketing 118 per cent and Mazda3 steady, slipping just 1.9 per cent.

The Toyota Corolla was the country’s number-one seller, on 3891 units, ahead of Holden’s Commodore (3856 units), Ford Falcon (2837) and Toyota HiLux (2563).

Toyota again was overall market leader with 16,664 sales – a decline of 18.8 per cent – but its July share slipped from 24.4 per cent last year to 22.1 per cent.

Year to date, Toyota is holding 20.9 per cent of the market, compared with 23.6 per cent at this time last year.

This year, Toyota has shed 33,207 sales, which translates to more than Hyundai’s total sales for this year (36,161).

Second-placed Holden suffered a sales decline of only 7.9 per cent in July, thanks largely to a solid opening performance by its new Korean-made small car, the Cruze, with 1982 units.

Holden’s 10,266 sales helped it to make up ground in market share, emerging with 13.6 per cent for July – up marginally on its 13.3 per cent share last year and an improvement on its 12.5 per cent YTD.

Arch rival Ford lost both volume and share, with July sales down 17.8 per cent to 7783 units, which translates to a 10.3 per cent share. In July last year, Ford’s share was 11.3 per cent. So far this year, its share sits at 10.2 per cent.

Although Mazda remains entrenched in fourth place in the market YTD (8.4 per cent share), its 6024 sales in July represents eight per cent of the monthly market.

Hyundai came over the top with 6226 sales for July – 65.6 per cent up on the company’s 2008 July sales tally of 3759 units, but slightly down on June’s record result (7862).

Its market share almost doubled from 4.5 per cent in July 2008 to 8.3 per cent. Year to date, Hyundai sales are up 28.3 per cent, for a 6.8 per cent share.

This meteoric growth has been propelled by sales increases across the range, led by the ageing Getz – the top-seller in the light car segment with 2147 sales in July (up 36.4 per cent) – and i30 small car (up 118 per cent, to 2045 units).

Hyundai Australia sales and marketing director Kevin McCann said Hyundai’s July result consolidated Hyundai’s position in the Australian automotive landscape.

“Our committed Hyundai dealer network is continuing to deliver exactly what today’s buyers want: award-winning products coupled with outstanding value,” he said.

“Our broadening buyer profile reflects the brands acceptance as a challenger to the leading manufacturers.”

Hyundai’s emergence as a light-commercial vehicle power was evident in the growth in sales of the iLoad (up 103 per cent, to 313 units) and in people-movers, with iMax up 240 per cent, to 194 units for its best-ever month.

In the SUV segment, Hyunda’s Tucson jumped 153 per cent to a handy 960 units in July, while Santa Fe sales grew a comparatively modest 33 per cent to 238 units.

Hyundai’s success in Australia mirrors its rise in the US where the combined sales of cars by Hyundai and its wholly-owned subsidiary Kia rose nine per cent in July.

The Australian small-car market was one of the few segments to enjoy growth in July – up 2.7 per cent on the same month last year.

As usual, the segment was dominated by the Toyota Corolla (3891) and Mazda3 (2785).

Medium car sales were one of July’s biggest casualties – down 23.3 per cent, taking its decline for the seven months this year to 21.1 per cent.

The Toyota Camry took a whopping 41 per cent of the segment in July, but with only 1717 sales, Toyota’s local hero is struggling to hold its place in Australia’s automotive top 10.

The important large-car market dominated by the Commodore and Falcon suffered to the tune of 19.5 per cent, while the upper large segment – led by the Holden Caprice and Statesman – was down 45.8 per cent.

Sportscar sales – spurred by the arrival of several new models from Europe – lifted 10.3 per cent in July, compared with a 10.3 per cent decline YTD.

At the luxury end of the market, most brands threw off the gloom by recording handsome volume growth. Audi July sales were up 26.1 per cent, BMW up 5.0 per cent, Lexus up 18 per cent, Porsche up 31.6 per cent, Ferrari up 18.2 per cent and Alfa Romeo up 15.7 per cent.

Exceptions were luxury leader Mercedes-Benz (-11.1 per cent) and Jaguar (-36.9 per cent).

Caught by falling sales of its top-selling C-class (down 41 per cent in July), Mercedes sold 1429 vehicles for the month – just eight more than BMW.

The sports utility vehicle (SUV) market held up its end, with July sales coming within 0.7 per cent of July sales last year, to 14,752 units.

However, one of the previous market segment leaders, the Toyota LandCruiser Wagon, continued at below-2008 levels, down 35 per cent for the month and 42.5 per cent down YTD.

The battle for top-selling SUV was a race in three between the compact Subaru Forester (1146 units), medium Toyota Prado (1117) and the narrow winner, Toyota Kluger (1167).

Light commercial vehicle sales, which enjoyed a bumper month in June as a result of rush of orders from small businesses taking advantage of tax depreciation breaks, fell back to earth with a thud in July.

Total July LCV sales totalled 12,026 units – almost half the July figure of 23,143 units – and 20 per cent lower than July 2008’s tally.

Ute sales plunged almost 10,000 units, to 9970 vehicles, which was a 20 per cent fall on July 2008. The Toyota HiLux continues to hold sway, with a total of 2563 sales for the month, although that is almost 30 per cent down on the same month last year.

Holden’s Ute, which gained 6.3 per cent in July sales, accounted for its rival Ford Falcon Ute, 918 to 817.

Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) chief executive Andrew McKellar said the July sales data showed business sales remain strong.

“There is evidence that there has been some flow-on from the very strong June sales result, particularly from buyers accessing the business tax break on new investments,” he said.

“This has been a very successful stimulus measure and small businesses remain eligible for a 50 per cent tax break until the end of the year.

“It’s also important to remember that the tax break remains in place for general businesses at a rate of 10 per cent, which is still a valuable incentive.”

Mr McKellar said some brands were reporting that as a result of stronger sales in recent months they have supply constraints on certain models, again proving the success of the federal government’s tax incentive.

Year-to-date 530,556 new vehicles have been sold, down 15.3 per cent (96,115) compared to the same period last year.

Top 10 makes, July 2009:
Rank Make Sales % Share
1 Toyota 16,664 22.1%
2 Holden 10,266 13.6%
3 Ford 7783 10.3%
4 Hyundai 6226 8.3%
5 Mazda 6024 8.0%
6 Mitsubishi 4166 5.5%
7 Subaru 2807 3.7%
8 Honda 2657 3.5%
9 Volkswagen 2361 3.1%
10 Kia 1497 2.0%

[vztrt]

Fleet & Business sales boost new car market

http://www.caradvice.com.au/37576/fl...ew-car-market/

Fleet & Business sales boost new car market

The latest new vehicle sales data shows business sales remain strong and there have been improvements in the small car, sports car and SUV segments.

Official VFACTS data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) shows that 75,333 passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles were sold in July 2009.
This result is down 10.3 per cent (8,643 vehicles) compared to July last year.

“There is evidence that there has been some flow-on from the very strong June sales result, particularly from buyers accessing the business tax break on new investments,” FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar said.

“This has been a very successful stimulus measure and small businesses remain eligible for a 50 per cent tax break until the end of the year.

“It’s also important to remember that the tax break remains in place for general businesses at a rate of 10 per cent, which is still a valuable incentive.

“Some brands are reporting that as a result of stronger sales in recent months they have supply constraints on certain models, proving again the success of the Federal Government’s tax incentive.”

Sales of small cars increased 2.7 per cent in July compared to the same month last year, sales of sports cars increased 10.3 per cent, sales in the SUV medium segment were up 2.4 per cent and the SUV luxury segment increased 7.2 per cent.

Year-to-date 530,556 new vehicles have been sold, down 15.3 per cent (96,115) compared to the same period last year.

Toyota continued in the top sales position in July with 16,664 vehicle sales, ahead of Holden with 10,266 and Ford with 7,783.

[Stoney!]

Originally Posted by The Snout

Poor result for Cruze. Under 2000 units, only half as much as Corolla and on the back of all that advertising as well. At least expected it to knock off Mazda but couldn't manage that feat either.

Would be interested to know if it's Astra/Viva/Commodore customers going over to Cruze or if they are actually attracting any new customers.

Very narrow minded of you, for a new name plate for this segment to the market and a car that is currently sedan only, it has sold extremely well, not to mention there is now a 3 month wait for cruze's, so as you guys would normally say for new fords to the market, they probably could have sold more if they had the stock.

Stoney!

[whales]

You reckon Falcon sales are bad now! Wait for the new Commodore with better fuel economy, more power, 6 speed auto as standard and an advertising program to knock you out.
Ford will be lucky to sell a Falcon at all

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Focus has absolutely bombed. Fiesta nearly outsold it, its doing pretty well, they are selling all they can get of them.

Fiesta (781) did outsell the Focus (742)!!

Maybe the new add will help the focus in coming months??

[The Snout]

Originally Posted by Stoney!

Very narrow minded of you, for a new name plate for this segment to the market and a car that is currently sedan only, it has sold extremely well, not to mention there is now a 3 month wait for cruze's, so as you guys would normally say for new fords to the market, they probably could have sold more if they had the stock.

Stoney!

Sure.

Astra is down 1100, Viva 500, there's minus 1600 for Holden. So Cruze has taken up the slack with some cream on top. Most it's sales are from Astra and Viva customers, may even have picked up the 100 Epica customers that left as well.

I don't see the big gains for Cruze yet, when 80-90% of sales for Cruze can be explained in Astra and Viva phasing out, they just went to Cruze.

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by The Snout

Sure.

Astra is down 1100, Viva 500, there's minus 1600 for Holden. So Cruze has taken up the slack with some cream on top. Most it's sales are from Astra and Viva customers, may even have picked up the 100 Epica customers that left as well.

I don't see the big gains for Cruze yet, when 80-90% of sales for Cruze can be explained in Astra and Viva phasing out, they just went to Cruze.

Add up Holden’s 3 small cars & they have a 16% increase YOY, Toyota's small car is down 13% YOY, Mazda’s small car is down 1.9% YOY & Ford's small car is down 40% YOY.. They have all been advertising these cars & yet Holden is the only one with an increase for the month! (I’ve ignored Hyundai as they are just freaks.)

Give credit where it is due!!

[FalconXR6]

Methinks the sales are not so much reflective of marketing (I am seeing a lot more Ford advertisements lately than any other brand - although the new Yaris add is so trendy it hurts - it's sure to attract young females who are keen to drop $15k on a new mode of transport), but a reflection of Joe Publics attitude towards transport.

Joe Public doesn't care about driving.
They just want transport.
They just don't give a crap about cars anymore.
Sad.
But true.

[EDManual]

talking about just a mode of transport....Over in France, where my wife is from(shes been here for 8 years), cars just get you around. They really dont care about them at all. In fact, my wife really took a while to understand here in australia when we are in carparks we dont whack our doors into the car next to us!!

Cars in France are really bought to be useful, not really anything more, and no one seems to get more than they would need.

[Eu-GenixX]

Originally Posted by The Snout

Sure.

Astra is down 1100, Viva 500, there's minus 1600 for Holden. So Cruze has taken up the slack with some cream on top. Most it's sales are from Astra and Viva customers, may even have picked up the 100 Epica customers that left as well.

I don't see the big gains for Cruze yet, when 80-90% of sales for Cruze can be explained in Astra and Viva phasing out, they just went to Cruze.

i am glad someone mentioned this... Cruze has just taken up slack from the phasing out of other models.. but had made a few sales on top of that.. so whats that... about 300-400 sales?... you can't give the Cruze FULL credit for gaining 2000 odd sales when it's replacing 2 other cars accounting for a 1600 sale loss....

[uranium_death]

It appears that a lot of Holden's appeal is its image.
I'm in a nice little argument about 'who makes the worst drivers' (specifically Holden v Ford), and the naievity is ridiculous; people who can Ford for being 'American' and 'breaking down constantly' etc.

Holden markets well.
The Cruze commercials; 'At night, look at the pretty colours...woooo'

Regardless, Holden have done a good job marketing. Many people still call the Fiesta, the 'Festiva', and 'Focus' is what you do when you're studying for exams.

[Eu-GenixX]

Did GMHolden have any input into the design of any kind of the Cruze? or was it all done over in Korea.. or wherever it's from?

[Road_Warrior]

The new ads are going to take a little while to gain traction.

[The Snout]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

Give credit where it is due!!

I did.

"So Cruze has taken up the slack with some cream on top."

People mention Cruze sold 1982 and how it's the greatest result since the model T. No problem. Just remember that Astra and Viva is -1600.

I see it as a straight swap plus that cream I mentioned.

[barbarian]

Ford = Fail at marketing

[DanielXR8]

I think many Ford fans seriously underestimate the damage the Ford dealer network has done to the brand. Not helped by Ford that preferred to:

a) Not fix a design or engineering problem now. (thats what the next model is for)

b) Never recall a car - wait until every single bloody customer has been put through the wringer and then grumble you will fix it and claim you never heard of it before, while you do it.

c) Always engineer the cheapest fix - not the best.

d) Just never fix it. Warranty is up in two years, so keep bullshitting until it runs out. You are on the third diff? The fourth will work a charm.

e) Always look to take $5000 worth of perceived customer value out of a car, by removing $500 worth of materials. The Territory decontent debacle comes to mind. Nothing new though, late EL's had this happen too.

f) Deny a problem until you have made sure every media outlet has made the punters aware of it and the brand has suffered for it. Then either belatedly do something about it, or just as likely still fail to address it. Later announce at next model release that the problem you denied was a problem is now fixed or let the motoring press discover it and write it up for you.

g) Forgot the internet means that customers are smarter in their purchasing now. Sure they might still ask Tom down the street who is a car nut, what to buy, but Tom has a heck of a lot better idea about Ford products and issues then he ever has. Better informed customers don't take spin well from big companies like Ford. If they do have an issue with a Ford vehicle, they take being ignored or spun a line even less well.

h) Never, never, never address the appalling quality and perception of the dealer network. That can't have any repercussions for the sales can it?

i) Not understand that poor fleet service and support also equals less private sales as these people have lives outside the office. Partners, neighbours, cousins, mates etc outside their business all get the opportunity to hear about how crap the last Falcon and/or Ford dealer was.
Focus vs Mazda 3 sales is this outcome in practice.

j) Fail to understand that most people are not tribal about car brands anymore. Yes some are (like on here), but most people have absolutely no problem about the brand. Traditional Ford buyers from my experience are less worried about swapping brands then a Holden buyer. Result is that if Ford or the dealer screws a Ford customer, they are far more likely to walk – and not come back.

k) Most people who are not Ford enthusiasts, find it unacceptable and frankly stupid that you need to "shop around" for a Ford dealer who will fix properly a warranty issue. If the local dealer can't or won't fix a fault, they simply won't buy Ford next time and shop at Toyota next door for their next car. Sure Toyota might screw them over too, but if they do, they will try Subaru or Mazda next - they won't come back to Ford.

l) Brand advertising will never, ever, replace a good dealer experience. if you can't provide the latter, then its game over before the ad even plays on the telly. Something many Ford fans can’t correlate as they only look at the ad and the car and not the whole ownership experience.

[King Nothing]

Originally Posted by DanielXR8

I think many Ford fans seriously underestimate the damage the Ford dealer network has done to the brand. Not helped by Ford that preferred to:

a) Not fix a design or engineering problem now. (thats what the next model is for)

b) Never recall a car - wait until every single bloody customer has been put through the wringer and then grumble you will fix it and claim you never heard of it before, while you do it.

c) Always engineer the cheapest fix - not the best.

d) Just never fix it. Warranty is up in two years, so keep bullshitting until it runs out. You are on the third diff? The fourth will work a charm.

e) Always look to take $5000 worth of perceived customer value out of a car, by removing $500 worth of materials. The Territory decontent debacle comes to mind. Nothing new though, late EL's had this happen too.

f) Deny a problem until you have made sure every media outlet has made the punters aware of it and the brand has suffered for it. Then either belatedly do something about it, or just as likely still fail to address it. Later announce at next model release that the problem you denied was a problem is now fixed or let the motoring press discover it and write it up for you.

g) Forgot the internet means that customers are smarter in their purchasing now. Sure they might still ask Tom down the street who is a car nut, what to buy, but Tom has a heck of a lot better idea about Ford products and issues then he ever has. Better informed customers don't take spin well from big companies like Ford. If they do have an issue with a Ford vehicle, they take being ignored or spun a line even less well.

h) Never, never, never address the appalling quality and perception of the dealer network. That can't have any repercussions for the sales can it?

i) Not understand that poor fleet service and support also equals less private sales as these people have lives outside the office. Partners, neighbours, cousins, mates etc outside their business all get the opportunity to hear about how crap the last Falcon and/or Ford dealer was.
Focus vs Mazda 3 sales is this outcome in practice.

j) Fail to understand that most people are not tribal about car brands anymore. Yes some are (like on here), but most people have absolutely no problem about the brand. Traditional Ford buyers from my experience are less worried about swapping brands then a Holden buyer. Result is that if Ford or the dealer screws a Ford customer, they are far more likely to walk – and not come back.

k) Most people who are not Ford enthusiasts, find it unacceptable and frankly stupid that you need to "shop around" for a Ford dealer who will fix properly a warranty issue. If the local dealer can't or won't fix a fault, they simply won't buy Ford next time and shop at Toyota next door for their next car. Sure Toyota might screw them over too, but if they do, they will try Subaru or Mazda next - they won't come back to Ford.

l) Brand advertising will never, ever, replace a good dealer experience. if you can't provide the latter, then its game over before the ad even plays on the telly. Something many Ford fans can’t correlate as they only look at the ad and the car and not the whole ownership experience.

m) Give the old "They all do that, it's normal" line.

Some very good points there.

[Kieron]

Actually King Nothing, i'll modify your sentence to say, "yep, all dealers do that, regardless of brand"

DanielXR8 does have many good points and i've most certainly experienced many of them from Ford, but it's not unique to Ford. It's still not an excuse for Ford and it's dealers though, improving customer experience/satisfaction is one way Ford could pull themselves ahead of the pack.

I sometimes get Ford's research calling me/sending me out surveys which I complete, but I wonder if all the people who have received the 'Daniel List' treatment bother replying? If not, then Ford may not be getting the real feedback from these surveys.

[Road_Warrior]

Unfortunately for Ford, the things in Daniel's post will be for a lot of buyers, a case of "once bitten twice shy". Ford won't get a look in with these people again.

[new2ford]

Originally Posted by uranium_death

It appears that a lot of Holden's appeal is its image.
I'm in a nice little argument about 'who makes the worst drivers' (specifically Holden v Ford), and the naievity is ridiculous; people who can Ford for being 'American' and 'breaking down constantly' etc.

Holden markets well.
The Cruze commercials; 'At night, look at the pretty colours...woooo'

Regardless, Holden have done a good job marketing. Many people still call the Fiesta, the 'Festiva', and 'Focus' is what you do when you're studying for exams.

I've been getting the Holden e-magazine for some reason - finally unsubscribed but before doing so I read the latest edition. In it there is a piece on Holden's history of safety "firsts":

http://www.holdencampaign.com.au/hol...LionAug09#/16/

They make their usual claims about being the first Australian manufacturer with disc brakes, seat belts, radials, anti-lock brakes. In fact BMC Australia was the first Australian manufacturer to introduce these features (e.g. Austin 1800, Mini), around 1964-65. But of course BMC isn't around to defend itself so Holden simply adopts the Goebbels principle of the bigger the lie you tell, the more people believe you.

I actually challenged them about this some time ago and had an exchange of correspondence with a young airhead in their PR department. Their response? BMC was a "British" company whereas Holden was an "Australian" company. I then pointed out to them (as if they didn't know) that Holden was a subsidiary of GM in the US and that BMC Australia was a locally incorporated company just as GMH was - and also fully manufactured in Australia with majority local content. Their response? Silence. Since then I notice they've dropped the claim about radial tyres, probably because that one was too much of a porky to sustain but they've still kept the others.

Ford owners might want to scan the timeline to see if any claims are made for things that Ford was in fact first with.

Lying seems to be the key to Holden's success.

[vztrt]

No point in putting it in a new thread...

Worst seems over in NZ car sales

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...25760A00060643

NZ motor sales meltdown eases as July sales fall ‘only’ 25 per cent

By JACQUI MADELIN in New Zealand 6 August 2009

THE decline in New Zealand vehicle sales has slowed, with July numbers 25 per cent down on July 2008, at 5740 passenger cars and commercials.

Sales had begun to tilt by the middle of last year, but the comparatively stronger result for the month is seen as promising after June's 36 per cent slide.

Mitsubishi NZ managing director John Leighton said the market appeared to have bottomed out, but Mitsubishi was not planning for any great surge.

“It will be a long slow recovery in parallel with a long slow recovery for the NZ economy,” he said.

“On the positive side, the risk of a ’30s-style world recession seems to have passed, and we shouldn't have any more major economic shocks for a very long time.”

That’s good news for Mitsubishi and Honda, which still suffered dramatic downturns of 56 per cent and 62 per cent respectively in July.

By contrast, Korean partners Hyundai (up 24.6 per cent) and Kia (up 43 per cent) were moving in the opposite direction, mirroring their gains in most international markets, including the US and Australia.

Toyota retained top spot in July, although its sales dropped 31 per cent to 1080 units for an 18.8 per cent share.

Ford was next on 12.4 per cent after Blue Oval sales fell 27.5 per cent to 717 for the month.

Ford NZ managing director Trevor Auger said Ford’s figure was boosted by higher Fiesta, Focus and Mondeo sales than July last year.

However, June’s National Agricultural Fieldays, the largest agricultural show in the southern hemisphere, had an impact on commercial sales. Some distributors held offers into July while others, including Ford, concluded their promotions at the end of June.

Holden recovered from a lowly sixth place in June to third in July. Its 17.1 per cent year-on-year drop to 631 vehicles helped Holden to a larger July share than last year, at 10.9 per cent.

Holden NZ managing director Simon Carr said Holden had its strongest month so far this year.

“We attribute this growth to the excellent public response to the launch of the Holden Cruze which saw 194 registrations in July,” he said.

Hyundai consolidated fourth place for the month, with 7.9 per cent share (455 sales), just ahead of Mazda which fell 27.3 per cent (419 sales).

Nissan’s five-car launch is responsible for its 1.7 per cent increase (406 sales), just ahead of Suzuki (345, down 14.2 per cent).

Mitsubishi took a 56 per cent drop on June last year for 235 sales and four per cent share, ahead of Kia (196, 3.4 per cent).

Mitsubishi’s John Leighton said his company was in a “temporary trough” as it prepared for some new model excitement later this year and early next year.

Honda’s massive 62 per cent fall to 175 sales was despite launching its new City. It holds three per cent share ahead of VW to retain its top-10 listing.

NZ vehicle sales year to date total 39,891, a fall of 32 per cent, and most brands have dropped in line with the industry figure. But Hyundai share is up 1.9 per cent and Kia 1.8 per cent, while Mitsubishi and Honda have fallen further than market trends.

Drops in fleet orders have influenced the year, but Holden’s Simon Carr says: “We believe that businesses which have extended their operating leases to 45 months will now enter a period where they will need to turn over their fleets, and this will have a positive impact on the market.”

In general, companies with new product are doing best, but the market will be volatile for some time. VFACTS

NZ top 10 brands in July::
Rank Make Sales % Share
1 Toyota 1080 18.82%
2 Ford 717 12.49%
3 Holden 631 10.99%
4 Hyundai 455 7.93%
5 Mazda 4441 6.3%
6 Nissan 406 7.07%
7 Suzuki 345 6.01%
8 Mitsubishi 235 4.9%
9 Kia 196 3.41%
10 Honda 175 3.05%

[BFZ Wagon]

It's amazing at just how many vehicles Toyota manage to sell each month let alone the silly lion company. There must be a HUGE amount of fleet and business sales. I can't see private buyers ever buying that many cars each month. But I could be wrong.
Also, did anyone notice the 2 Vectra's in the Holden list? Didn't they disappear nearly 2 years ago before the Crappica oops, I mean Epica came onto the market? They must have been very old stock.

People out there also can't grasp names. I remember years ago when the Festiva was around and people always referred to it as a 'Fiesta'. Now they're doing the opposite. :P
I'd like to see the same figures from 10 years & 20 years ago. I bet the Ford figures would have been BIG compared to the other 2. Especially 20 years ago.

Ah, I miss the old days.