Imports Are Overtaking In Car Sales
The Age
Tuesday February 6, 2007
ONLY two of the six locally made cars were on the top-10 sellers' list after the swing towards light and small cars gathered speed last month.
The Holden Commodore, once entrenched as market leader, was again overtaken by Toyota's Corolla as the country's best seller.Overall, sales last month were up 9.9 per cent to a record 76,936 cars and trucks, setting the scene for another strong sales year for the industry. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) predicted registrations of new vehicles this year would rise slightly to 970,000 units.The Commodore and Ford's Falcon were the only locally made cars in the top 10 last month after Ford's Territory and Toyota's Camry dropped out, joining Mitsubishi's 380.Demand for Ford's sports utility vehicle, though, picked up strongly last month, with sales rising to 1343 units, up 22 per cent from the previous January.This rise reflected an increased interest in the medium SUVs, as the sector was up 17 per cent for the month, according to the Vfacts official registration figures compiled by the FCAI.The Camry dropped out of the top 10 because the launch of the new Camry and its new six-cylinder sister, the Aurion, effectively split Camry sales. Last year, the Camry came with four and six-cylinder engines.In January, the Camry finished equal 12th with the Territory on 1343 sales while the Aurion garnered 1125 registrations, only getting it to 18th position on the list.The strong rise in sales of the medium SUVs was eclipsed by a 26 per cent jump in sales of small cars for the month, which was backed by a 14 per cent rise in sales of light cars."This is a long-term trend beyond petrol price volatility, part of a fundamental shift in consumer preferences that's been gathering momentum for a couple of years," said Peter Sturrock, the chief executive of the federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.While the Corolla led the small-car sector and the overall market, it gained a relatively modest 8 per cent in volumes. The big gainers in small cars were the Mazda3, up 27 per cent to 3347 and third outright in the market, the Holden Astra, also up 27 per cent, on 2239 units and the Mitsubishi Lancer, up 37 per cent to 1527 cars.Mr Sturrock said the decline in the sales of large cars appeared to have levelled out after a steep decline last year."The reduction in petrol prices in December and January played a part in better sales of family sedans and wagons, but equally significant was new model activity in both segments," he said.Overall, sales of large sedans were down just 81 units compared with the previous January, Mr Sturrock said.Mitsubishi's 380 was a winner, with sales rising 44 per cent to 1041 for the month.KEY POINTS ? Corolla again leads Commodore as the best-seller.? Falcon, Commodore the only locally made cars in top 10.? FCAI forecasts 970,000 sales for the year.
© 2007 The Age
