Oz Sales Continue Decline in August

Australia’s new-vehicle market fell for the eighth straight month with August deliveries dropping 5.5% to 88,157 units.

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries data shows year-to-date results down 2.5% to 737,975 units.

FCAI CEO Tony Weber says the car segment was the main culprit behind the August decline, with Australians buying 42,658 units, down 11.2% from year-ago. Sales of SUVs rose a scant 0.1% to 27,543 units and light-commercial vehicles edged ahead 0.5% to 15,333.

“SUVs and light-commercial vehicles were a popular choice for private buyers in August, with private purchases in these segments rising 5.6% and 8.9%, respectively; compared to August 2013,” Weber says in a statement. “Private purchases of passenger cars, however, fell 15.7%,”

Business purchases declined in all categories, with 6% fewer cars, 9.6% fewer SUVs and 3.9% fewer LCVs delivered in the sector.

Year-to-date sales of cars are down 5.4% to 355,168 units, while LCV deliveries are off 4.7% to 130,908. SUV sales are up 3.7% to 231,787 units, driven by the small-SUV segment, rising 15.7% to 56,850 units.

Toyota continued its domination of the Australian market with 15,638 deliveries in August, well ahead of GM Holden (8,635); Hyundai (8,601), Mazda (7,529) and Ford (6,906).

The Toyota Corolla topped the sales chart for the sixth straight month with 3,247 units, followed by the Mazda3 (3,124), Toyota Hilux (2,918), Hyundai i30 (2,651) and Holden Commodore (2,344).

In fact, Toyota outsold its nearest rival by more than 80%, taking its year-to-date total above 133,200 units. No other brand has reached 75,000 sales this year, virtually sealing the automaker’s claim to a 12th consecutive year as the country's top-selling brand.

Toyota Sales and Marketing Executive Director Tony Cramb says new-vehicle sales should be even stronger with the arrival of the southern spring.

“Demand remains at near-record levels across the industry and Toyota, in particular, is geared up for sales to accelerate during the last four months of the year,” Cramb says in a statement.

GM Holden continued to post year-on-year growth, with its August result up more than 3,100 units for a 10.1% market share year-to-date.

Sales and Marketing Executive Director Phil Brook says while the Australian market remains extremely challenging, GM Holden has solidified its position as No.2.

“Holden continues to consolidate its strong sales position, with sales up 2.9% year-to-date in a market that is down overall,” Brook says in a statement.

Hyundai Australia saw sales rise 10.2% to an August-record 8,601 units, its 27th consecutive month of year-on-year sales growth.

The result placed the brand third overall for the fifth straight month, with a 9.8% market share.

In the car segment, Hyundai deliveries rose 19% year-on-year to 6,351 units, putting it in second place and head of GM Holden and Mazda.

Mazda sold 7,529 units for an 8.5% market share in an August result that was down from year ago when the month included the brand’s 1-day, once-a-year sale.

Through eight months, Mazda sold 67,487 units for a 9.1% market share.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles notched another record month with 3,700 sales boosting its market share to 4.2% for the first time, led in part by strong Jeep Grand Cherokee deliveries.

The result capped the most successful 3-month period for the automaker in Australia with 11,800 sales. The result puts FCA on track to sell more than 40,000 units by the end of the year, up from 30,000 in 2013 and 20,000 in 2012.