Holden slumps in February’s new car sales race

HOLDEN has taken a dive to its worst sales performance in almost 20 years, the latest preliminary numbers for February’s new-car sales show.

It was a month in which SUVs continued their march ahead of traditional passenger cars, exactly a year after the high-riding vehicles overtook their showroom rivals for the first time.

Preliminary sales data for the month shows the market fell one sale short of 96,000, but almost 500 sales short of 2016’s record month. However, the market is still almost 10,000 sales ahead of last year’s record pace thanks to January’s strong numbers.

All the heat in the market came from either the SUV segment (39,800 sales) or the light commercial vehicle segment (18,707). Sales to businesses in all segments grew, with SUVs jumping by 22 percent and commercial vehicles by 19 percent.

The Toyota Corolla was Australia’s best-selling passenger car, accounting for 3270 units as the fleet buyers who take a back seat in January flooded back into the market. However, its performance was outshone by the trade utes, with the Toyota Hilux (4426) and Ford Ranger (3544) outclassing it.

Mazda performed strongly, with the 3 small hatch and sedan (2935) and CX-5 midsize SUV (2191) rounding out the top five.

Once again, the introduction of imported versions of what were once locally made cars sapped the market. The Toyota Camry (1381) and Holden Commodore (737) were both usually in the top 10 when made locally, but Camry only managed 20th when trade utes are pitched into the mix, and the Commodore 42nd.

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That low number for the Commodore turned into a horrendous month for Holden with just 4689 sales. After finishing January in the number two spot, it slumped to eighth on the top 10 brands list, its worst result in the almost 20 years of VFACTS records.

Holden spokesman Mark Flintoft told Wheels the company planned for a slower start to the year in terms of sales, with VF Commodore stocks drying up before the new model began arriving in showrooms in late February.

"February’s result is unnatural in that new Commodore is only just reaching dealerships and while Equinox enquiry and test drives are growing, we are still establishing the nameplate," he explained.

“We’re also waiting on the diesel Equinox which arrives at the end of the month. We’ve got our strongest product line-up ever, with more in the pipeline, so we expect to bounce back quickly.”

Toyota topped the manufacturers’ charts with a big jump to 18,281 sales in February, followed by Mazda (9913), Hyundai (8001), Mitsubishi (7142) and Holden’s longtime rival Ford (6059). Honda (4962) and Nissan (4863) also finished in front of Holden.

Saving Holden was the Colorado trade ute (1039) and Astra small car (1008), which between them accounted for almost half the brand’s February sales. Its newest entry to the Australian market, the Mexican-built Equinox, snared just 364 sales as it was outsold by the smaller Trax (438).

Ford, meanwhile, raised its numbers via the Ranger, which accounted for almost three out of every five of the marque’s sales, with the Mustang (492), the Everest (475) and the Escape (471) adding significant volume. Only two Falcons were sold for the month; very few are believed to remain on the car maker’s books. No sales of the once locally made Territory were recorded this month.

Hyundai did well, rising to third spot (8001) as the Accent city runabout (1782) and i30 small car (2812) helped build numbers.

Alfa Romeo appears to be preparing for the launch of its first-ever SUV, the Stelvio, later this month. It has registered a single car. And despite having 40 dealers on its books, SsangYong recorded no sales for the month. Year to date sales for the brand are a single car, a Korando, sold in January.

TOP 10 BRANDS

RANK BRAND Feb 2018 Feb 2017

1. Toyota 18,281 16,308
2. Mazda 9913 9923
3. Hyundai 8001 7001
4. Mitsubishi 7142 5758
5. Ford 6059 5669
6. Honda 4962 3196
7. Nissan 4863 4425
8. Holden 4689 5724
9. Volkswagen 4671 4618
10. Kia 4664 4174
11. Subaru 3901 3746
12. Mercedes-Benz 2764 3059
13. BMW 2010 2006
14. Isuzu Ute 1822 1326
15. Audi 1812 1711
16. Suzuki 1487 1605
17. Land Rover 973 1277
18. Renault 759 804
19. Lexus 724 758
20. Jeep 643 639

TOP 20 PASSENGER CARS

RANK BRAND Feb 2018 Feb 2017

1. Toyota Corolla 3270 3392
2. Mazda3 2935 3143
3. Mazda CX-5 2191 1933
4. Hyundai i30 2182 2003
5. Toyota RAV4 1841 1726
6. Hyundai Accent 1782 1206
7. Volkswagen Golf 1649 1306
8. Nissan X-Trail 1622 1500
9. Mitsubishi Outlander 1611 798
10. Hyundai Tucson 1604 1596
11. Mazda CX-3 1562 1468
12. Kia Cerato 1491 1513
13. Toyota Kluger 1420 680
14. Honda Civic 1409 829
15. Honda CR-V 1381 554
16. Toyota Camry 1381 1473
17. Toyota Prado 1323 1320
18. Kia Sportage 1102 1127
19. Honda HR-V 1067 982
20. Subaru XV 1045 501