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New Vehicle sales Top the Million Mark in 2011

The Australian new motor vehicle market has staged a remarkable comeback in the second half of 2011 to finish above one million calendar-year sales for only the fourth time in history.

Official VFACTS data released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries shows that a total of 1,008,437 new passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles were delivered to customers during 2011.

These figures represent a decrease in volume of 2.6 per cent (or 27,137 fewer sales) compared with 2010 – which can be attributed to challenging market conditions and significant supply shortages during the year, according to FCAI chief executive Ian Chalmers.

“2011 full year sales are an exceptional result given the effects of natural disasters both at home and abroad throughout the year,” Mr Chalmers said.

“The uptake of new vehicles was impacted early in the year by economic uncertainty, closely followed by natural disasters in the key markets of Western Australia, Victoria and Queensland.

“Sales were further subdued by Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, with a resulting shortage of export vehicles from that country a secondary outcome of the extreme loss of life experienced by the Japanese people.

“The resilience of the Australian marketplace, combined with strong industry resolve, saw sales recover strongly in the fourth quarter, with total sales finishing just 3.9 per cent behind the FCAI’s forecast of 1,050,000 for the year.”

Sales results

Toyota was the best selling vehicle brand in 2011, with 181,624 sales for a market share of 18 per cent.

Holden and Ford finished second and third with 126,095 sales (12.5 per cent market share) and 91,243 (nine per cent) respectively.

Mazda3 was the best-selling model for the full year, edging out Holden Commodore by 812 vehicles to finish with 41,429 sales.

Toyota HiLux was third overall with 36,124 sales, followed by Toyota Corolla (36,087) and Holden Cruze (33,784).

The small car, Luxury SUV and 4x4 light commercial segments led the sales charge throughout 2011, growing by 2.122.4 and 6.3 per cent respectively.

Looking forward

Mr Chalmers said the FCAI’s outlook for 2012 was cautiously optimistic.

“Once again in 2012 we are predicting the market to top one million sales – a realistic assessment given the recent nature of competitive strategy in the retail sector and strong consumer demand for new models,” he said.

“2012 will require a concerted and collaborative effort by the industry and government to drive the automotive sector in this country forward.

“Top of agenda is the need to finalise a CO2 emission standard in this country, with this industry having led the charge by delivering significant gains in fuel efficiency over the past decade.

“We’ll also be closely assessing the impact of carbon pricing to be introduced from July.

“Significantly, 2012 will be a year where the industry reinforces the pivotal importance of co-investment programs between government and industry in competing for, and winning, important new manufacturing assignments for Australia.”

SALES RESULTS

Top 10 individual models (by sales volume):

Rank
Brand
2011
2010
% diff
1.
Toyota
181,624
214,718
-15.4
2.
Holden
126,095
132,923
-5.1
3.
Ford
91,243
95,284
-4.2
4.
Mazda
88,333
84,777
4.2
5.
Hyundai
87,008
80,038
8.7
6.
Nissan
67,926
62,676
8.4
7.
Mitsubishi
61,108
62,496
-2.2
8.
Volkswagen
44,740
38,016
17.7
9.
Subaru
34,011
40,025
-15.0
10.
Honda
30,107
40,375
-25.4

Source: VFACTS

Top 10 manufacturers (market share and volume):

Rank
Vehicle
2011
2010
% diff
1.
Mazda3
41,429
39,003
6.2
2.
Holden Commodore
40,617
45,956
-11.6
3.
Toyota HiLux
36,124
39,896
-9.5
4.
Toyota Corolla
36,087
41,632
-13.3
5.
Holden Cruze
33,784
28,334
19.2
6.
Hyundai i30
28,869
29,772
-3.0
7.
Nissan Navara
21,675
21,171
2.4
8.
Toyota Camry
19,169
25,014
-23.4
9.
Ford Falcon
18,741
29,516
-36.5
10.
Mitsubishi Lancer
18,717
23,076
-18.9

Source: VFACTS

For further information contact:
Sheena Ireland, Communications Manager
P: 02 6229 8221
M: 0458 038 555
E: [email protected]