Oz Sales Rise, Forecast to Top 1 Million for 2011

Australian new-vehicle sales rose for the second straight month, with the August tally up 7.3% to 88,082 units, prompting forecasts full-year demand will reach seven figures for only the fourth time.

“These positive figures are good news for the automotive industry in Australia, and put the industry firmly on track to achieve the 1 million sales target for 2011,” Federal Chamber of Automotive Industry acting CEO Steve Payne says in a statement.

LandCruiser sales hot in August.

“We’re continuing to see a recovery in supply from earthquake and tsunami-damaged Japan, along with stronger sales in Queensland as the state recovers from severe weather events earlier in the year.”

Sales in Queensland rose 14.6% in August to 18,298 units, leaving the 8-month total down just 1.4% at 139,601 units.

Nationally, year-to-date sales of 665,309 units were off 4.4% from year-ago’s 695,666.

Australia topped the 1 million-unit mark in 2007, 2008 and 2010. The record of 1,049,982 vehicles was set in 2007.

New-car sales rose 4.1% in August to 48,423 units, leaving the 8-month total down 6.5% to 371,602. SUV deliveries climbed 19.4% in August to 22,111 units for a year-to-date total off a scant 0.3% at 156,409.

Light-commercial-vehicle sales edged up 1.9% to 15,157 units for the month, but remain down 2.3% year-to-date at 119,370.

Toyota topped sales in August with 15,885 deliveries, for an 18% market share, outpacing GM Holden at 11,534 (13.1%) and Mazda at 9,138 (10.4%).

Toyota continues to recover from the disruption of supplies after the earthquake and tsunami in March, with its market share up from 16% in July and 13% in June.

Toyota Australia Sales and Marketing Senior Executive Director David Buttner agrees the Australian market will top 1 million units this year, saying underlying demand points to a sales surge over the next four months.

Unprecedented mining, construction and infrastructure investments are driving the Australian economy, he says.

“Automotive producers such as Toyota are benefiting from strong demand for new vehicles being generated as a result of these huge injections of capital,” Buttner says.

The Toyota HiLux workhorse was among the best-selling vehicles, even though some customers may have held back due to the arrival of a significantly revamped range launched this week.

Sales of LandCruiser 70 Series, a favorite among miners, were up more than 37% year-on-year.

“LandCruiser 200 Series sales rose more than 88%, which is another key indicator of strong economic activity,” Buttner says.

Demand for Toyota’s commercial vehicles continues to exceed supply and the company says it is pushing to get extra allocations for Australia.

GM Holden had its best August – up 3.5% year-on-year – since 2007, with sales of its locally manufactured vehicles up 55% month-on-month, reflecting strong demand for its Commodore and Cruze models.

The August performance took GM Holden’s year-to-date tally to 84,923 units for a 12.8% market share.

Commodore had its best August since 2008, selling 3,682 units for the month, placing it second in overall sales behind the Mazda3 (4,234). Holden begins production of its ʼ12-model Commodore range this week.

Mazda Australia had a record month with 9,138 units, beating the old mark of 8,850 last September.

Hyundai Australia also had a record month with 7,417 units, up 13.1% year-on-year. It ranked fourth for the month in car sales with 5,481 deliveries.

The FCAI’s Payne says private and business customers are continuing their shift toward compact SUVs and 4x4 utility vehicles, with respective sales growing 4.9% and 6.7% year-to-date.

He says the luxury-SUV segment also continues to strengthen, up 18.9% so far in 2011.