Oz September Sales Up as SUVs Pick Up Cars’ Slack
SUV deliveries rose 6.8% from a year earlier to 39,497 units, pushing the segment’s 9-month total up 9.9% to 332,103. By contrast, September car sales fell 8.7% to 42,076 units and were down 5.8% for the year at 366,203.
Australian new-vehicle sales continued their steady growth in September, rising 1.3% year-on-year and driven by strong demand for SUVs and light-commercial vehicles.
Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries data shows the 102,696 units sold for the month raised the year-to-date total 2.8% to 887,076.
SUV deliveries rose 6.8% from a year earlier to 39,497 units, pushing the segment’s 9-month total up 9.9% to 332,103.
LCV deliveries improved 17.9% in September to 18,242 units for a year-to-date total ahead 11.2% at 164,682.
By contrast, September car sales fell 8.7% to 42,076 units and were down 5.8% for the year at 366,203.
FCAI CEO Tony Weber says the increased diversity of SUVs is giving consumers an abundance of choice.
“The trend in increased consumer preference for SUVs and light commercials was accompanied by a decline in sales of passenger vehicles,” he says in a statement.
“What we are seeing in Australia with the increased market share held by SUV sales, with the segment share up 2.4% year-to-date compared with 2015, is not unlike what is occurring in other mature markets.”
The Australasian New Car Assessment Program added to SUVs’ attractiveness, giving 5-star safety ratings for three compact models: the newly released Volkswagen Tiguan, BMW X1 and Jeep Renegade.
Toyota remained the market leader in September with sales up 0.7% to 16,716 units for a 16.3% market share. Mazda rose 19.5% to 12,009 deliveries for an 11.7% share; Hyundai was up 0.1% to 9,319 and 9.1%; GM Holden was down 8.2% at 8,564 and 8.3%; and Ford jumped 25.0% to 7,280 for 7.1%.
Corolla Edged by Mazda3
The Mazda3 was the most popular model with 3,491 sales, followed by the Toyota Corolla (3,423), Toyota HiLux (3,209), Ford Ranger (2,903) and Hyundai i30 (2,741).
With nine months under its belt, Toyota remained comfortably atop the Australian market, up 3.7% from like-2015 at 155,175 units. Mazda was a distant second, rising 5.5% to 90,700 units and ahead of Hyundai, up 0.5% at 77,808.
One-time market favorite GM Holden languished in fourth, down 7.2% at 71,312 units, but still ahead of rival Ford, up 18.7% at 61,406.
With Toyota’s Corolla celebrating its 50th anniversary, it overtook stablemate HiLux to become Australia’s best-selling car thus far this year with 30,948 deliveries, with HiLux just 121 units behind.
The Corolla-HiLux tandem has helped give Toyota Australia a virtually unassailable lead of more than 60,000 units as it moves to claim market leadership in Australia for a 20th year, including 14 years in a row since 2003.
Elsewhere, Ford Australia ends production at its Geelong plant on Oct. 7 and will be squeezing three last sales from the operation.
It is holding an online auction Oct. 15 for the last saleable Falcon, Territory and Falcon Ute (pickup) models to be built Down Under. Proceeds will go to charity.
Ford will keep the very last Falcon, Falcon Ute and Territory models. The vehicles will be displayed at key enthusiast events before being loaned to museums in Ford Australia’s home state of Victoria for the longer term.
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