Oz First-Half Sales Robust But Dip Year-on-Year

Australia’s new-vehicle market reached the year’s halfway point down 2.4% to 559,951 units after June sales slipped 0.4% year-on-year to 118,309.

But the outlook is brighter with Australian financial-year data.

Toyota Australia says industry sales of more than 1.12 million units in 2013-2014 in the fiscal year ended June 30 were topped only by the 1.13 million sold in the prior year and were well ahead of the 1.06 million delivered in 2011-2012.

Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries data shows new-car sales fell 6.6% in June to 53,844 units for a 6-month total down 4.3% to 269,046.

The SUV market remained a bright spot, rising 7.1% in June to 36,846 units for a first-half total up 2.9% to 175,493.

Light-commercial deliveries rose 4.2% to 24,522 units, but were down 5.3% to 100,726 at the 6-month mark.

Releasing the data, the FCAI says private and government buyers led the way during June with private purchases improving 8.6% year-on-year and government purchases increasing 5.3%.

“We continue to see strong growth in the SUV segment with overall SUV purchases accounting for 31.1% of the total market in June – an increase of 2.2 percentage points compared to June 2013 figures,” FCAI says in a statement.

The Toyota Corolla was the top-selling vehicle for the fourth straight month, with 4,648 units, ahead of the Toyota Hilux (4,276), Mitsubishi Triton (4,124), Mazda3 (4,059), and Hyundai i30 (3,243).

Four LCVs made the top 10 sales chart: the Toyota Hilux (4,276 units), Mitsubishi Triton (4,124), Ford Ranger (3,214) and Nissan Navara (2,262).

Toyota maintained the overall lead for June with a 17.6% market share after selling 20,808 units, followed by GM Holden with 10.4% (12,332); Hyundai, 8.5% (10,008); Mazda, 7.9% (9,374); and Ford, 7.4% (8,715).

It was the sixth time in 15 months the Corolla and Hilux took the top two spots.

Tony Cramb, sales and marketing executive director-Toyota Australia, says the industry is tracking above 1.1 million sales for the full year after the second-highest total ever reached in the first half of a calendar year.

“The January-June total is within 2.5% of the all-time record set last year, which is an excellent result in the face of tough federal and state government budgets and a national economy that is in a transition phase,” Cramb says in a statement.

“The outlook for new-vehicle sales is positive, with the certainty of another full-year total well in excess of 1 million vehicles and Toyota contributing at least 200,000 of those sales.”

Toyota’s first-half sales of 101,105 units were 78% higher than those of its nearest competitor.

GM Holden had its best monthly result in three years as it marked the 10^th consecutive month it outperformed the market, with the Lion brand recording 10.1% first-half growth.

Phil Brook, sales and marketing executive director-GM Holden, says it is pleasing to see bumper results across its portfolio. “Despite the intense competition and fragmented nature of the Australian market, we are dedicated to building on Holden’s strong results in the first half of this year,” he says in a statement.

Hyundai finished the month of June with a record result, breaking through the 10,000-unit barrier for the first time with 10,008 deliveries. It was the 25th consecutive month of year-on-year sales growth for Hyundai and the 23rd straight record-beating month.

The Mazda CX-5 also hit high marks as Mazda posted a record 9,374 deliveries for the month.

The CX-5 sold 2,211 units in June to surpass its previous record by 175 units, further cementing its claim as Australia’s best-selling SUV.

At the halfway mark of the year Mazda sales were down 0.7% to 51,910 units for a 9.3% market share.

The Fiat Chrysler Group had record month and first-half sales.

Halfway through the calendar year, it had topped 21,200 units, a figure it took nine months to reach last year.

The automaker’s June deliveries of 4,546 units saw the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Patriot, Fiat Professional Scudo, Chrysler 300, Chrysler Voyager, Alfa Romeo Guilietta and Alfa Romeo Mito all recording  their best month of sales so far in 2014.

The all-new Jeep Cherokee’s June sales of 558 units eclipsed the previous-generation model’s best month ever.

Kia returned to the top 10 sales-leaders list in June with 3,305 units for its second-best month on record in Australia. First-half sales of 15,299 units put the automaker on target to maintain its business plan through year’s end.

“It is becoming increasingly clear that Kia is consolidating its determination to deliver a mix of models that meet consumer expectations,” Chief Operating Officer Damien Meredith says in a statement. “No longer is this a Rio-driven sales story, but rather one in which Sportage, Cerato and Sorento have thrown their weight into the sales ring.”

Audi set records with 1,809 deliveries in June and 9,661 in the first half.

“Our success has come from a strong sales performance achieved across all segments of our range – passenger and SUV models,” Managing Director Andrew Doyle says in a statement. “It’s an indication of the health of the Audi brand in Australia and we’re pleased with the momentum we are gaining. We expect a similarly strong second six months.”

The Audi A3 combined model range generated 2,058 sales in the first half.

Renault’s 4-year recovery program reached a new milestone in June with more than 1,000 vehicles delivered in one month, raising the half-year total 52.5% over like-2013 to 4,380 units.

“Our strong, yet sustainable sales momentum has continued to build over the past four years and we are delighted to have achieved this monthly total, a number that seemed a significant stretch target when it was discussed at management level not so long ago,” Justin Hocevar, managing director-Renault Australia, says in a statement. “Renault now is able to claim its rightful place on the shopping list of mainstream car buyers.”