NEWS
VFACTS for December: Market reaches new peak
Over 1.1 million new cars were sold in Australia during 2012VFACTS figures released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) reveal that sales of new cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles hit an all-time high in 2012.
1,112,032 sales last year broke the previous record – set in 2007 – by just over 62,000 vehicles. All classes performed stronger than last year, with passenger vehicles (576,855) gaining 3.1 per cent year on year. SUVs picked up 25.3 per cent on last year to finish with 305,825 sales, and light commercial vehicles were ahead by 12.2 per cent on 21,576 sales. By segment, only large cars and some LCV segments sold fewer units than in 2011.
For December the total market amounted to 95,427, of which passenger vehicles contributed 50,618. SUV buyers during the month acquired 25,548 units and sales of LCVs totalled 16,481.
With some justification, Toyota claims to have been the principal driving force behind the sales surge in 2012. Of the 103,595 additional vehicle sales (beyond the number sold in 2011), the market leading brand sold 36,552, reflecting the company's change of fortune since the literally catastrophic result in 2011.
In a press release issued by the company, Toyota made no specific mention of its turnaround since the devastating natural disasters that held up supply in 2011, but by its own reckoning the gain made – year on year – was 20.1 per cent.
"During the past 10 years of market leadership, Australians have bought almost 2.1 million Toyota vehicles - a remarkable 650,000 sales more than any other brand," said Toyota Australia senior executive director sales and marketing Matthew Callachor.
"Toyota is extremely grateful for the support of so many Australians and we are determined to continue earning that trust."
Other car companies that hit the jackpot in 2012 included Chrysler, Mazda, Nissan, Renault, Subaru and Audi. The German prestige brand sold 14,535 cars last year, which is the eighth consecutive year of sales growth for Audi in Australia.
"We are very pleased to have closed 2012 with a modest and sustainable increase over the previous year’s sales, especially considering the strength of our 2011 result," said Audi Australia MD Uwe Hagen. "We have been successful thanks to our retail organisation’s ability to present the important new vehicles that were launched during the year, including the all-new Audi A1 Sportback, Q3 compact SUV, A4 allroad quattro, A6 Avant and A6 allroad quattro, S6 and S7 as well as critical model upgrades for the A4, A5 and Q5 model ranges."
"We are confident that the coming year will see Audi again grow in this market, thanks to our very competitive range of vehicles including the all new Audi A3 Sportback which arrives mid-year, a host of spectacular S and RS models that Audi will unveil in 2013, and a committed national network of dealer partners. Our future is bright."
Subaru MD Nick Senior credited Forester and XV with the brand's 18.2 per cent sales charge in 2012, finishing the year on 40,189 units sold.
"We're delighted with this result, which shows our new generation cars, particularly the XV, have wide appeal, with a great combination of looks, safety, durability and fun," Mr Senior was quoted saying in a press release.
"XV and BRZ again demonstrate the factory’s ability to design and produce cars that have the X factor that remind people that fun and cars can combine to produce a genuine sense of excitement. We’re looking forward to maintaining that momentum in 2013 as we introduce new Forester on the back of significant revisions to our Liberty and Outback ranges."
Chrysler enjoyed a stellar year in 2012. According to a press release issued earlier today the combined sales for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge rose by 79.4 per cent – from 11,931 the year before to 21,401 in 2012.
"We are the fastest growing car company in Australia and we certainly won’t be holding back in the year ahead. We’re looking forward to growing our brands well into the future and 2013 is set to be filled with many more wins for the group,” said Clyde Campbell, Fiat Chrysler Group MD.
Renault's sales increased from 3622 to 4565 in 2012. While total vehicles sold last year remained low-volume by contrast with some importers' results, the figure marked a 38 per cent improvement.
"Our growth profile continues to be very encouraging, and our total surpassed any other year since the brand returned to Australian retail operations in 2001," said Justin Hocevar, Managing Director of Renault Australia.
"We saw growth across a broad section of the range, from Koleos compact SUV to the much lauded and awarded RS 265, while the Mégane hatch and Latitude large sedan also exceeded their previous year totals."
Mr Hocevar expects Renault's market share to gain further ground in 2013, with the local launch of the Clio IV.
Sharing the same office with the French marque, Nissan has also seen substantial sales growth in 2012. By delivering 79,787 vehicles during the year, the importer recorded 17 per cent growth to post a new record as a full-line importer and its best annual result since the days of Skyline and Pulsar production in Clayton, Victoria – back in 1990. Much of Nissan's success was founded on the popularity of its offroad models: X-TRAIL, Dualis, Navara and Pathfinder.
"Nissan's popularity in Australia is on the rise and there's no stronger evidence of this than our latest sales results," said William F. Peffer Jr., Managing Director and CEO of Nissan Australia. "Nissan is earning its 'unfair share' of the Australian new car market by delivering what Australian new-car buyers expect and we're going to intensify this when we commence our biggest-ever new-model roll-out later this month, starting with the all-new Nissan Pulsar Sedan."
Over at Mazda celebrations are focused on the company breaking through the 100,000-unit barrier for the first time. Mazda has also laid claim to being the first full-line importer to achieve that result. The importer also boasts the most popular car for the month and the year, in the unstoppable Mazda3 – in its last full year of production before a new model launch in 2013. CX-5, Mazda2 and BT-50 have also been strong-selling models for the brand throughout the year.
"We are once again indebted to Australia’s private customers who continued to make Mazda their choice in 2012," observed Doug Dickson, Mazda Australia MD. "Also to our Dealers and staff who worked even harder this year to deliver the service that our customers demand. With our SKYACTIV product renewal cycle only just kicking off, we can look forward to an even stronger year in 2013."
Top selling brands by the end of the year were: Toyota (218,176), Holden (114,665), Mazda (103,886), Hyundai (91,536), Ford (90,408), Nissan (79,747), Mitsubishi (58,868), Volkswagen (54,835), Subaru (40,189), Honda (35,812). Holden, Ford and Mitsubishi are the only three companies in the top ten to record worse results than in 2011.
The 10 best selling cars during the month of December were: Mazda3 (4649), Toyota Camry (3586), Toyota Corolla (3543), Toyota Hilux (3120), Nissan Navara (2691), Hyundai i30 (2250), Holden Commodore (2198), Toyota Yaris (1948), Ford Focus (1915) and Holden Cruze (1904).
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Written byKen Gratton
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If the price does not contain the notation that it is "Drive Away", the price may not include additional costs, such as stamp duty and other government charges.
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