April Sales

[bobthebilda]

http://www.news.com.au/finance/new-c...-1226904998967

NEW-CAR sales hit a speed bump in April: it was the worst monthly result in two years and the biggest slump since a Japanese tsunami wiped out vehicle supply in June 2011.
Official figures due to be released on Monday show new-car deliveries are down for the fourth month in a row — by 5.2 per cent compared with the same month last year, to 80,710 deliveries — dragging the market down by 3.1 per cent year-to-date to a tally of 347,080.

April is historically the weakest month for new-car sales because of the school holidays, but even taking this into account it was tough going.

NEW AND USED CAR SALES: carsguide.com.au

HOLDEN: The 2017 Commodore will be made in China

Market leader Toyota had its lowest sales result in four months and only three of the Top 10 brands posted gains.

Holden was among those to record an increase in April — albeit by just 16 cars compared with the same month last year — along with Hyundai and Subaru.

The homegrown Holden Commodore continued its dramatic surge — up 61 per cent after last year’s record lows — with its 10th month in a row of sales growth.

But the Commodore’s recovery is not enough to reverse the decision to end local production in 2017.

The Commodore’s tally of 2443 deliveries in April is respectable in the current environment — it was the fourth bestseller — but the result is still less than one-third of its monthly sales rate of a decade ago.

WHAT THE: Australia automotive industry tipped to boom

It was enough, however, to return Holden to second place overall after being relegated to third place by Mazda for the first three months of this year.

The sustained market slowdown is further evidence most of the big brands “pushed” cars onto the market last year to reach ambitious sales targets, and reported vehicles as “sold” even though they had not been bought by anyone other than the dealer.

They are dubbed “cyber” cars because they’re reported as sold in “cyber space” — on the car industry’s computer data — but are in fact not yet sold to a paying customer.

Cyber cars eventually get sold in the months after they are reported, and are not counted twice. But the industry choked on them in the second half of last year as everyone seemed to have the same idea.

“The market is still digesting cyber cars, the sales figures should become a more accurate reflection of the market by the middle of the year,” said a senior car company executive who asked not to be named.

This partly explains why Nissan is still down by a staggering 35 per cent in the first four months of this year, closely followed by Honda (down 33 per cent) and Mitsubishi (down 12 per cent).

Meanwhile, the Toyota Corolla was Australia’s most popular car for the second month in a row but the Mazda3 still leads the year-to-date tally after Mazda sold an unusually high number of “demonstrator” models.

One-third of all Mazda3’s sold in January and February were so-called “dealer demonstrators” — more than four times the industry average, which is 7 per cent.

Mazda Australia boss Martin Benders said the sales push was a “one-off”, and 1000 of the 4500 demo models were of the new generation Mazda3, normal practice at the start of a car’s life.

Sedans again proved to be passé, with deliveries of the Toyota Aurion V6 down by 33 per cent for the month, while the Camry was down by 23 per cent and the Ford Falcon down by 9 per cent.

Sales of small cars were down by 8.2 per cent for the month as buyers continued their migration to compact SUVs, whose sales were up by 47.5 per cent compared to the same month last year.

Buoyed by low interest rates, buyers treated themselves to a record number of luxury vehicles.

Porsche was the biggest improver for the month (up 53 per cent), followed by Jeep (up 31 per cent), Mercedes-Benz (up 26 per cent), Land Rover (up 19 per cent), Audi (up 18 per cent), and BMW (up 10 per cent).


Top 10 cars in April 2014

TOYOTA Corolla 3315 — down 5.4 per cent

MAZDA3 3057 — up 7.6 per cent

TOYOTA HiLux 2572 — down 12.2 per cent

HOLDEN Commodore 2443 — up 61.3 per cent

HYUNDAI i30 2271 — up 5.6 per cent

FORD Ranger 2094 — up 24.2 per cent

TOYOTA Prado 1622 — up 27.1 per cent

TOYOTA RAV4 1548 — up 16.4 per cent

MAZDA CX-5 1543 — up 2.2 per cent

HOLDEN Cruze 1468 — down 35.9 per cent


Top 10 car brands in April

TOYOTA 14,930 — down 11.7 per cent

HOLDEN 8010 — up 0.2 per cent

HYUNDAI 7626 — up 4.3 per cent

MAZDA 7000 — down 10.6 per cent

FORD 6449 — down 5.6 per cent

MITSUBISHI — down 20.1 per cent

NISSAN 4157 — down 18.6 per cent

VOLKSWAGEN — 4019 down 12.3 per cent

SUBARU 2903 — up 13.7 per cent

HONDA 2352 — down 25.8 per cent

[csv8]

Commodore sales up. wouldn't have anything to do with advertising ???? or special editions, like International or Storm models....even that cann't save Commodore..Lets hope the FH has a decent advertising campaign.....Great Ranger is in 6th place..but Fiesta and Focus??????

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by csv8

Commodore sales up. wouldn't have anything to do with advertising ???? or special editions, like International or Storm models....even that cann't save Commodore..Lets hope the FH has a decent advertising campaign.....Great Ranger is in 6th place..but Fiesta and Focus??????

Commodores sales are up because VEII was in runout at that time last year.

Most rental companies are running VF's at the moment because FG's are soon to end and they are probably worried about resale.

[fgpsi]

Why is nobody buying falcons!

[johnydep]

Originally Posted by DASH GT

Commodores sales are up because VEII was in runout at that time last year.

Most rental companies are running VF's at the moment because FG's are soon to end and they are probably worried about resale.

VE run out April

I thought it was during December-January.

[XtRmn8]

Originally Posted by DASH GT

Most rental companies are running VF's at the moment because FG's are soon to end and they are probably worried about resale.

Drove past a large Budget rental yard yesterday and I thought it was a Hyundai dealership. Appart from the commercials it used to be all Commodores and Corollas a year or so ago.

Looks like even rental companies have turned thei back on the Australian built stuff.

[csv8]

Dash GT..VE runout sales wouldn't be in April 2014 sales ? VF has been on the market 11 months...

[rst2000]

Originally Posted by csv8

Dash GT..VE runout sales wouldn't be in April 2014 sales ? VF has been on the market 11 months...

yep that's his point...come on the back of a historically low month (one year ago) because it was run out time.

[Focused]

Focus 1302
Falcon 653
Territory 697

http://www.caradvice.com.au/284149/c...rs-and-losers/

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by johnydep

VE run out April

I thought it was during December-January.

No VF was released in May 2013.

VEII was in runout in April 2013, as per why sales are so much better this year. Its simply because VEII was in runout and they weren't building any, mainly ramping up VF test pilots and early production cars for media.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by csv8

Dash GT..VE runout sales wouldn't be in April 2014 sales ? VF has been on the market 11 months...

Spec savers?

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by Focused

Focus 1302
Falcon 653
Territory 697

http://www.caradvice.com.au/284149/c...rs-and-losers/

Terrible month for Territory.

The only thing saving Falcon is FMC lease cars at the moment and a few rental sales.

[johnydep]

I reckon Falcon sales are poor because there is no certainty on whether Ford will build the next model, and people are waiting to see it.

A lot of guys I speak to are buying the SS's because of value for money and what's in it, but also because it'll be the last Aussie V8 Holden.

If Ford got their act together they could ride the same wave.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Theres no point. What ever they do they are going to lose money. At this point they are trying to minimalise the loses by spending nothing on Falcon, or Territory it seems.

Ranger is their best selling car now.

[Falcman0o7]

Wow the cruze is falling apart already LOL!
Crap cars

[bobthebilda]

By my rough calculations, Australians bought around 7600 Australian made cars in April. It must be a new low point.

[b0son]

Originally Posted by csv8

Lets hope the FH has a decent advertising campaign

You might have more luck wishing for unicorns.

[JG34JA]

Malibu 249
Mondeo 235
!

[Fordman1]

The Ford Brand is dead in Australia.

I'd like to see what Bob's plans are ......

Import product is on the nose too BTW.

[Syndrome]

Originally Posted by Barraxr8

The Ford Brand is dead in Australia.

I'd like to see what Bob's plans are ......

Import product is on the nose too BTW.

Destined to become bit players in a market they once dominated.

[flooded one]

thou Rangers having a good run!!

[Bossxr8]

Ford have pumped multi millions into advertising Kuga and Ecosport but they only sell a few hundred each. Half of what Falcon and Territory do.

Ford sales and marketing = FAIL. They sooner they all get cleared out and replaced with people who know what they are doing the better.

[MrZ]

Originally Posted by JG34JA

Malibu 249
Mondeo 235
!

That's because the Mondeo is ancient and it's replacement has already been available for nearly 2 years in the USA. It also isn't available as a sedan, which is what most mid-size car buyers want.

[Fordman1]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Ford have pumped multi millions into advertising Kuga and Ecosport but they only sell a few hundred each. Half of what Falcon and Territory do.

Ford sales and marketing = FAIL. They sooner they all get cleared out and replaced with people who know what they are doing the better.

VW, Jeep, and Mazda are showing them the way in terms of Marketing Campaigns.

Ford are Embarrassing themselves, their employees and their fans with the rubbish Marketing they have.

[Nikked]

Originally Posted by Barraxr8

The Ford Brand is dead in Australia.

I'd like to see what Bob's plans are ......

Import product is on the nose too BTW.

Really?


I think you are wrong, very wrong.

Because I see Ford are still in the top 5 brands for the month (and the year)...In the top 10 vehicles sold, there is only 5 brands split amongst them...Ford is one of them...with an imported product...take that out to year to date, and ford have 2 cars in the top 10...both imported products.


There are 47 car brands in Australia, and Ford are selling in the top 5.


Car to explain how the "brand is dead" with a "Import product is on the nose"




If anything, Holden are in a bad position...its top selling line is the commodore...making a bulk of numbers...


And its gone in a few years...

[Windsor220]

Yeah if you took Commodore and Falcon out Ford would have outsold them.

[b0son]

Originally Posted by Nikked

I think you are wrong, very wrong.

Agreed.

IMO, with Falcon gone, Ford may finally shake off a reputation for dated, under-specced and under-engineered cars (largely due to the Falcon). The rest of the lineup is quite frankly enviable and makes a mockery of the rubbish Holden are trying to sell.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by b0son

Agreed.

IMO, with Falcon gone, Ford may finally shake off a reputation for dated, under-specced and under-engineered cars (largely due to the Falcon). The rest of the lineup is quite frankly enviable and makes a mockery of the rubbish Holden are trying to sell.

Do you own a current FGII?

Dated, under-specced and under engineered cars is complete RUBBISH.

Falcon and Territory may be under specced but they are still 2 of the best driving cars under 100 kay. No doubt about it.

The Falcon ecoboost is the best 4 cylinder you can buy in a medium / large sedan.

[b0son]

Originally Posted by DASH GT

Do you own a current FGII?

Dated, under-specced and under engineered cars is complete RUBBISH.

I'm talking about the perception of the brand. It certainly isn't viewed as anything close to best in class. Outside driving enthusiast circles, Fords (especially Falcons) simply aren't held in very high regard. I don't know anyone who has bought one in years or even considered it.

[Joe5619]

Let’s face it. Brand 'Ford' is very damaged in this country. People can get excited about 5th place, however the fact remains, Ford has had 8-9 continuous years (including this one) of market share losses. Ford was once the dominate brand in this country & 5th is not where they should be & is nothing to get excited about IMO.

It will take the rest of this decade to turn the perception of brand 'Ford' around. I believe they are on the right track, but it's not going to happen overnight. Perception’s are hard to change

Lucky for me (& others on here) I know the poor perception Ford has it wrong & I'm lucky enough to buy new Ford products to know they are a class act. People will catch on eventually!! In the mean time, lets enjoy class leading cars while others stuff around with 2nd best!!