VFACTS for October: Resurgent Toyota lifts market

Commodore drops back to fifth place for the month as Corolla, HiLux, Golf and Mazda3 push ahead

The Australian new-car market remains on track for a million-plus score by the end of the year, based on sales figures for last month published by VFACTS today.

85,196 vehicles were sold last month, 5.3 per cent (4271 units) higher than October 2010. The gain in October has reduced the gap in year-to-date sales with 2010 to 2.8 per cent. For September the gap was 3.7 per cent. Just two selling months remain for this year, so total sales may not exceed the figure of 1.035 million for 2010, but the seasonally adjusted rate is already 1.009 million, according to VFACTS.

In year-to-date terms, the market has reached 837,324 vehicles sold — 24,321 fewer than the same period last year. Passenger car sales account for all of that shortfall and more — 24,840 fewer than in 2010. Light trucks are also running behind last year's tally, but only by 461 units. SUVs, with the exception of medium SUVs are ahead of last year's figure.

“Manufacturers are reporting a steady increase in demand, placing the industry in a strong position to reach our target of one million sales for the calendar year,” said Ian Chalmers, chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

“So far this year 837,324 new vehicles have been sold. While this is 2.8 per cent fewer than for the same period in 2010, last month’s figures are the best October sales result since 2007 and suggest a return to pre-GFC sales volumes.”

According to Chalmers, improving business confidence and stable fuel prices have contributed to the better market in October, but it's hard to conceive that Toyota's rush to back-fill orders placed in the aftermath of the Japanese quake and tsunami has no part to play.

And it's interesting to see how this has affected the other heavy-hitters in the top five. Mazda3, long threatening to overtake Holden's Commodore as the top seller for the year, is now over 300 units behind, year to date. During October the Mazda actually outsold the Commodore, but it too was outsold by Toyota's Corolla and HiLux — and perhaps more surprisingly — the Volkswagen Golf.

Toyota also enjoyed an astoundingly good month for sales of its Camry (pictured), which performed 800 units better than during October 2010 and outsold its nearest direct rival by a factor of five. Camry, locally built but with imported parts, is nearly 3000 units behind in year to date sales — almost certainly due to the tsunami and earthquake. But that's ancient history now.

"October was the third month in a row where total industry sales were higher than the corresponding month of the previous year," said David Buttner, senior executive director sales and marketing for Toyota.

"This trend augurs well for the final two months of the year and the likelihood of annual sales topping one million for only the fourth time," he said.

The top ten selling car companies for the year to date were: Toyota (148,610), Holden (106,141), Ford (76,416), Mazda (72,954), Hyundai (72,636), Nissan (56,107), Mitsubishi (51,227), Volkswagen (37,303), Subaru (29,504) and Honda (25,882). Mazda, Hyundai, Nissan and Volkswagen have grown their sales for this year, but the other six companies have seen their sales decline, year on year.

The top ten selling cars for the month were: Toyota Corolla (3593), Toyota Hilux (3480), Volkswagen Golf (3337), Mazda3 (3185), Holden Commodore (3018), Holden Cruze (2805), Hyundai i30 (2798), Toyota Camry (2725), Ford Falcon (1591), Mitsubishi Lancer (1549).

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