Tells it like it is.
Australian March 2009 Sales Results
Australian March 2009 Sales Results
Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries
3 April 2009
www.fcai.com.au
Official VFACTS data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) shows that 75,650 passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles were sold in March 2009 – down 17.1 per cent (15,635 vehicles) compared to the same month in 2008.
“This result is certainly down on a year ago but the extent of the fall in the market appears to have stabilised somewhat in recent months,” FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar said.
Year-to-date 212,970 new vehicles have been sold, down 19.2 per cent compared to the same quarter last year.
“Given the impact of the global economic downturn, new vehicle sales for the first quarter of 2009 are around the level we would expect them to be,” he said.
“Around the world the automotive industry has been disproportionately affected by the impact of the financial crisis and resultant economic downturn. We can take some comfort from the fact that the Australian new vehicle market has performed far better than those in almost all other developed economies.” Mr McKellar said.
Toyota was Australia’s best-selling brand in March with 16,608 vehicles (22.0 per cent market share) followed by Holden with 9,188 (12.1 per cent of the market) and Ford with 7,570 vehicle sales (10.0 per cent market share).
Year-to-date, Toyota leads the market with 44,309 vehicles sold, followed by Holden with 26,979 and Ford with 20,986 vehicles.
Top Australian Brands March 2009
Brand - Sales
1. Toyota - 16,608
2. Holden - 9188
3. Ford - 7570
4. Mazda - 6116
5. Hyundai - 4907
6. Mitsubishi - 4694
7. Nissan - 4396
8. Subaru - 3415
9. Honda - 3349
10. Volkswagen - 2522
Top Australian Vehicles March 2009
Vehicle - Sales
1. Holden Commodore - 3544
2. Toyota HiLux - 3306
3. Toyota Corolla - 3007
4. Mazda 3 - 2801
5. Ford Falcon - 1990
6. Toyota Yaris - 1741
7. Hyundai Getz - 1597
8. Nissan Navara - 1562
9. Toyota Camry - 1515
10. Hyundai i30 - 1503
FCAI
Last edited by Reaper; 30-04-2009 at 12:50 PM.
Nil Bastardo Carborundum
Twenty years ago, who would have thought that Toyota would not only top the sales charts - they would outsell Holden by about 50%?
mavro
DO you know why ??
they build beter cars and holden is selling less cars because more then 1/2 the cars from holden ARE NOT holdens.
the commerdore is too big for old poeple, the barina is a daewoo( now chevi ) and its not a nice car and not appealing for the young.
and everything between it is OLD models from OPEL or daewoo.
if holden wants too improve sales get the OPEL Insignia too aussie and the new opel corsa.
but thats what i think
Tells it like it is.
Clearly you don't.Originally Posted by mavro
Actually it has nothing to do with better or worse cars. Toyota have many strong/above average performers across nearly every market segment. That is micro, small, small/medium, medium, light truck, light suv, medium 4wd, heavy 4wd, commercial (vans) etc etc.they build beter cars and holden is selling less cars because more then 1/2 the cars from holden ARE NOT holdens.
the commerdore is too big for old poeple, the barina is a daewoo( now chevi ) and its not a nice car and not appealing for the young.
and everything between it is OLD models from OPEL or daewoo.
if holden wants too improve sales get the OPEL Insignia too aussie and the new opel corsa.
but thats what i think
No other manufacturer does that.
Reaper
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If Holden knew what they were doing they'd be driving to drive the Astra further into the market place. Instead they're talking about axing it. Go figure.
Best thing that can happen to Holden right now would be for GM to cut them loose and a private investor to pick them up.
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Tells it like it is.
Not sure what the thinking is there. There were rumors that Open were trying to **** them over on price so it's a bit of posturing by Holden. Not sure how much you can read into that. Euro Astra/Vectra/Barina are/were very good cars. The problem is they didn't sell. The Korean stuff is rubbish but price seems to cure many sins in this segment and they are selling many more.
Reaper
mavro
mr reaper :Clearly you don't.as you wrote has nothing 2 do with it. just a different opinion .
toyota hasent been sleeping the last few years they have been exploring every segment for years. yes they have more money than holden but holden is GM.and GM as you know is about 15 brands world wide and there 4 plenty of know how.
and quality has got alot to do with it. toyota has been top of the satisfaction list for years ( j.d.powers in u.s.a) all around the world.
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With the way car prices are going they're practically disposable. Drive them till too many parts fall off, then throw it in the bin and get a new one.
Barina's have always been aimed at the budget segment, it makes sense they'd offer the cheapest tin can on wheels they can. The Astra I really can't fathom because that's where I see the money to be made, small quality cars.
Astra's are still a good car. Underrated in my opinion. Now the Vectra has been phased out I'll be interesting to see how well the Epica takes off... Poorly as far as I can tell.
It's an easy mistake to assume that just because a business is big, that the corporate knowledge they've accumulated is well documented, managed and disseminated appropriately throughout the business. Often this is not the case.
I think part of the reason that the Japanese car makers have the upper hand now is not so much that their vehicles are superior (in many cases they are, but in many cases they aren't), rather it's that their local markets have been demanding smaller more practical, economical cars for far longer than ours and the US have. They've gotten the game down well, whereas the Yanks are playing catch up.
DANJA'S CLEAROUT 2010 : Various VT-VZ parts, short shifters, performance parts. Check it out!
Donating Member
Umm aren't they the February results, not March???
Nil Bastardo Carborundum
Mavro
I already had a pretty fair idea of WHY Toyota heads Holden today - my question was rhetorical.
As Reaper said, the range of Toyota vehicles is astonishing - in my opinion, far too large. They make a vehicle to suit every niche of the market, then create a new niche and fill it with a new design. Think about the RAV, Prado and Landcruiser. Who else has 3 separate 4WD vehicles aimed at the passenger market? And does the market really need all 3?
Toyota has marketed itself on quality for years and this is a claim which has stood up well. They have a reputation for solid and reliable cars. People who only want reliable, comfortable transport think Toyota. People who like to drive cars with a bit of character and excitement don't. Toyotas are bland and boring - I hate the bloody things, because they invariably seem to attract the triffid who just wants to drive at their own pace and do everything possible to annoy other drivers (especially the elderly, who seem to love Camrys).
The other point to Toyota's success is that their cars have been more attuned to market requirements for many years. With the exceptions of the Lexcen and Avalon, all their cars have succeeded in Australia, because they were marketed as economical, well engineered and practical. And that's exactly what they were.
Holden, on the other hand, is driven by a company that has failed to read the future as well as Toyota. GM is in trouble because for years, the big money on the US market came from small trucks and they were the vehicles that dominated the passenger market. The standards of engineering and advancement needed to improve trucks was not very high, so their market suffered through lack of need to build anything better. Now it has come home to bite them - hard. Nobody wants trucks, V8's are now being seen as evil, because fuel prices in the States are finally starting to reflect real world trends, the Government is now pulling the strings and the cars that GM needs are still only prototypes or drawing board proposals. All need time and massive funding to reach the market, neither of which GM has.
It's true that Holden's marketing decisions in recent years have been bad. Because of the need to maintain the $13990 pricing for the Barina, the XC Barina was dumped as it cost too much. Enter a tired and crude old Daewoo we had already seen and disliked. Likewise the TS Astra - replaced by the Viva. Another rehash of an unpopular Daewoo. The Epica - updated Leganza. How Holden thought that marketing Daewoos, which were very poorly regarded in this country, as Holdens, would work is beyond me. Only the Captiva is worth considering and it had considerable Holden input in its design.
If Holden was disposed of (and this is not too likely, surprisingly, it's Opel and Vauxhall that GM has discussed selling off), I would hate to see it end up in Chinese hands, which is the most likely scenario.
mavro
well said, all correct.....
this is the point i was trying to make to Reaper....
and yes THEY are boring inside and out, and when I'm 65 years old I mite buy one.
Tells it like it is.
Oops - my bad.
Fixed now
Reaper
for an "economic downturn" im glad to hear things are starting to stabilize, everyone seems to be very worried about all this..
as long as when i want a new car someone is making me one and i can buy it, im happy, just like everyone else buying new cars.
the rise and fall of the economy is a neverending circle. i work in retail, and yeah its slowed up a little, but it cant run guns blazing forever.
GM is trying to sell Opel off (for $1 actually) with the whole restructure and CH11 issue they are going through. So there may be a problem there if they tried pushing it.
I Holden knew what they were doing they would have released the twin turbo short wheelbase Torana Hatch instead of the VE 6 litre barge. Like we all wanted them to do 5 years ago. Sure the VE is selling well but choped a couple / three hundred kilos out of it and see how good that would be
Tells it like it is.
close.... I just re-worded it a little for you:
If GM knew what they were doing they would have approved Holden to release the twin turbo short wheelbase Torana Hatch instead of the VE 6 litre barge. Like we all wanted them to do 5 years ago. Sure the VE is selling well but choped a couple / three hundred kilos out of it and see how good that would be
Reaper
Donating Member
The falcon is a goner surely. 1,990 sales compared to 3,544 for the VE and the VE is nearly 3 years old, whilst the FG is still quite new. Not to mention in 6 cylinder form its also the better car and the sticker on the window shows 9.9L per 100km mileage.
I really don't see Ford Aus keeping a RWD aussie built Falcon much longer because its never going to sell. They build the better car and still get outsold nearly 2 to 1, why bother.
Reaper = funnyscrew the Americans! I hope the government buy Holden :P
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Hmm... hadn't heard that. Surprising because Opel do quite well in the European market, as do Vauxhall (the Euro branding for Holden).
I'm hoping that only the GM retardmobiles, like the huge SUVs/Suburbans/trucks etc get axed, because some of their cars are actually decent and would be a shame to see them disappear.
DANJA'S CLEAROUT 2010 : Various VT-VZ parts, short shifters, performance parts. Check it out!
Tells it like it is.
If it is profitable they will keep it. Run the plant 50/50 with the focus??? (can't remember) and Falcon. 100% of overhead recovery and hedge one's bets with regards to future market trends. Remember Holden made a huge mistake in the 70's going to a smaller car (V body Commodore) during the oil shock of the 70's. Within 10 years the market had moved back towards the large sedans again. I think the Ford/Holden model of running their factories with both is a good bet each way.
Reaper
Ford is running very low stock at the moment and are only building to order. Holden have too much stock and are discounting in a desperate move to move stock (great time to buy actually). Another problem was the CO2 emmissions from the Falcon/Terri stuffed up fleet sales and hence the latest upgrade done by Ford.
Also Ford do have the territory which will run low number until mid 2010 when the new model comes out....mind you the Falcon will get a Euro 4 I6 and a new V8 (most likely the 5L all alloy thats will be running in the 2010 mustang).
Ford cut their production down (starting in 2006) so they will have to see what happens when the FC is over.
Holden have large overheads and too many people at the moment. Also going around the rumour mill is Holden cant afford the redundancy payments and this is why they kept the second shift employees. But that is just a rumour.
Focus should go online late 2010, some of the engineers there were telling me that they cant wait for it. Unfortunatly it hasn't been signed off. Mind you its still early for it and the plant is already being upgraded so it should go ahead.
Personally I think a L.I LPG Commo or Falcon would go very well in the market as its low CO2 and cheap running costs (great for fleet buyers).
Vauxhall is Opel in the UK actually.
Some links:
GM to split from Opel - Feb. 27, 2009
GM and Opel seek to part ways as possibility of bankruptcy looms - 2/27/09 - Flint News and Saginaw News - abc12.com
Opel to sever links with General Motors after 80 years | Business | The Guardian
Germans not happy with Opel
YouTube - NDR - Extra3 - 26.02.09 - Klaus - GM
Dialog International: How GM Destroyed Opel
In terms of the Bigger vehicles, the only reason they actually slumped in the US was because of petrol going to $4/gallon over there. Otherwise Americans want big cars (the media will tell you otherwise). The F150 truck has been the best selling vehicle in the US constantly (still is).
Donating Member
Not sure if you mistook Falcon being a goner for Ford Aus being a goner, but thats the impression I received from your reply. The financial status of Ford Aus is not the issue in my eyes, its the sales of the Falcon that is. If they can only sell 24,000 a year, will Ford US want to give Ford Aus the money to continue building their own large RWD falcon beyond 2013 when the I6 is currently planned until?
You made a comment on sales figures and I gave a reply to that. I don't believe that the Falcon is a goner. Just not the best time to be selling cars. Commodores have been high selling cars yet the VE hasn't made a profit yet. Even the series 1 & 2 AU Falcon made profits. Sales don't mean anything when your company is not making money.
March was just a bad month in volume so saying 24,000 cars a year isn't that accurate. Also you have to take into account that the Falcon Ute and Territory are also built and sold here and share parts. Whether or not the Falcon goes on post 2013 wont be known till late next year (this is when the new Falcon will be signed off, or laid to rest). I'm more interested in seeing what will happen to Holden when GM files for Ch11 in a months time.
Donating Member
Well thats 2/3 months so far for the year that FG has failed to sell over 2,000 units. They sold just 1,630 in January. February was a good month, selling 2,300. So 24,000 a year is accurate based on its 09 sales volumes for the first quarter.
You have to understand that the reason Holden havent been making a profit is not because of the VE, its because they've had too many employees on and have been making too many cars then paying to have them sit there.
Sales help justify the American parents to allow their Australian subsidaries to spend $700 million to $1 Billion on a new model. Holden are going to struggle justifying the VE based on 3,500 sales a month, so surely Ford Aus will struggle more justifying the FG on 2,000 sales a month, regardless of Ford US' superior financial standing at present.
There is a vast difference between Holden and Ford selling cars in Australia. Holden could re-build the VS and slap some VF badges on it and still sell over 3,000 a month because of brand loyalty at the same time Ford could steal some 5 series BMW's and slap some FG badges on them and sell them for $35k and still wouldn't break 2,500 units.
As for territory, that still requires development costs, the same as Falcon. Its not as simple as being another deriviative of the Falcon. And current sales haven't exactly been gangbusters either (638 in January, 765 in Feb, be interesting to see March's results though).
Last edited by 1991_Vn2nV; 03-05-2009 at 06:27 PM.
Terri sold 763 units in march.
If you have a look at the Sedan and Ute sales (The two share the R&D costs) it actually isn't that bad. Ford are pushing the 3000 a month mark while the commodore actually does about 4000 a month. Not bad when were in a financial crisis and no one wants to buy and banks don't wanna give credit. Also Ford lost sales due to its emissions that have been rectivied with the latest update, fleet managers and government now look at these things.
Holden haven't made a profit in the last two financial years (doubt this year will be different) So when they had huge sales they weren't turning a profit (which is strange as the loss normally comes at the end of the cycle not at the start), but GM does say they see Holden is considered viable.
As for what the parent companies will do with Ford and Holden well that we will have to see. GM has to get the US in order so the worst that would happen to Holden is that they would be sold off to another company (Chinese would be the most liely). As for Ford, Falcon may very well go but US Ford do realise that they will lose market share if they made the Falcon FWD...losing the I6 annoyed the Ford camp. Under 'one Ford' they would need to look at a GRWD program to reduce R&D costs but thats been shelved as the financial crisis hit, which actually means the Falcon will be around a little longer in its current form.
As for the difference in Holden and Ford selling cars in Oz I 100% agree. If you look across to NZ the FG is doing much better then the VE as Ford don't have the Holden is Australian issue to contend with.
Terry will require R&D, but the cost will be reduced so it will be more like an FG (at the end of the day the Terri is a Ford Wagon that handles). There still is a good business case for SUV's. And when the terri was first released it sold in very good numbers. The terri paid for itself and was a good hit. But after 4 years without an update until recently the sales will slow up but should get back up in decent numbers come the release (new Terri will come out).
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