VFACTS: Toyota returns to the top

The Toyota Corolla has regained its crown as the top-selling passenger car, taking November’s honours from the all-new Hyundai i30 that reached the top for the first time in October.

Toyota sold 2959 Corollas last month, compared with 2227 i30s which was well down on the 3983 October figure. Such was the drop in i30 sales that it fell to fourth behind the Mazda 3 (2464) and the Mazda CX-5 (2358).

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As has been the case for past year, the top passenger cars were overshadowed by the Toyota Hilux (4103) and Ford Ranger (3576) light commercial vehicles. However, their numbers should be put into perspective as they are boosted by considerable commercial sales and include all the different body shapes. Light commercial vehicles accounted for 19.8 percent of sales, weighted mainly to the more expensive 4x4 models.

The CX-5’s entry in to the top-three passenger vehicle list reflects the continued growth of SUV sales, which easily outstripped car sales to claim a 40.2 percent share of the monthly pie compared with the latter’s 36.4 percent.

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Of the top-20 passenger vehicles, eight were SUVs, all of which enjoyed increased sales over the same time last year (see table below).

Of the brands, Toyota again dominated the market with 18,804 sales in November including light commercials, more than double second-placed Mazda (9330). As well as Hilux and Corolla, Toyota had four other models in the top 20 including RAV4 (1950), Camry (1913), Prado (1492) and Kluger (1139).

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After a big October, Hyundai fell to third, and Holden retained its fourth spot on the chart with 7995 sales, bolstered by the Astra small car (1480 sales) which finally appears to be finding buyers after a slow relaunch here. The Commodore (1835) also performed well in the weeks after it ceased production.

Mitsubishi (6678 sales) overtook Ford (6275) for the month, led by its increasingly popular ASX (1948), the Outlander (1314) and the Triton ute (1752). It will be interesting to see if the new Eclipse Cross SUV, which arrives next month, adds to Mitsubishi sales or dilutes numbers from the ASX and the Outlander.

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Ford totally rode on the back of its Ranger ute, which made up 60 percent of its sales, for its sixth place. Once again, the Mustang (711) was the brand’s best-selling passenger car and again eclipsed all others in the sports category. Take away the Ranger and Ford would have finished behind luxury marque Mercedes-Benz in the sales race. Mercedes sold 2750 cars, while BMW managed 1628, unusually trailing Audi’s 1891 sales for the month.

November wasn’t a bad month for high-end cars. Honda sold its second NSX supercar for the year and Ferrari sold 39 cars in November as part of a 6.0 percent sales jump from last year.

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TOP 20 BRANDS for NOVEMBER*

RANK BRAND Nov ‘17 Nov ‘16

1. Toyota 18,804 18,162
2. Mazda 9330 9825
3. Hyundai 8781 7991
4. Holden 7955 7750
5. Mitsubishi 6678 5875
6. Ford 6275 6827
7. Volkswagen 5364 4862
8. Nissan 5077 6341
9. Honda 4431 3502
10. Kia 4305 3573
11. Subaru 4265 4141
12. Mercedes-Benz 2750 3111
13. Isuzu Ute 2446 2022
14. Audi 1891 2030
15. BMW 1628 2114
16. Suzuki 1356 1555
17. Land Rover 943 860
18. Renault 905 1086
19. Isuzu 796 758
20. Jeep 623 1036

*Provisional VFACTS data

TOP 20 PASSENGER CARS FOR NOVEMBER*

RANK MODEL Nov ’17 Nov ’16

1. Toyota Corolla 2959 3245
2. Mazda 3 2464 2877
3. Mazda CX-5 2358 1956
4. Hyundai i30 2227 2541
5. Hyundai Tucson 2121 1934
6. Toyota RAV4 1950 1593
7. Mitsubishi ASX 1948 1530
8. Hyundai Accent 1914 1995
9. Toyota Camry 1913 2957
10. Holden Commodore 1835 2088
11. Nissan X-Trail 1765 1938
12. Volkswagen Golf 1761 1338
13. Toyota Prado 1492 1168
14. Holden Astra 1480 263
15. Kia Cerato 1476 1059
16. Honda Civic 1439 765
17. Mitsubishi Outlander 1314 1205
18. Toyota Kluger 1139 886
19. Subaru XV 1111 814
20. Honda CR-V 1055 611

*Provisional VFACTS data