Car sales remained strong in March – defying concerns Australia is sliding towards recession.
But industry analysts were unsure if panic buying in the face of rising vehicle prices was giving sales a false boost, writes Mike Duffy.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Sales of cars and commercials rose to 68,951 units in March, 780 units or 1.1 percent over the same month last year, according to figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.
The first quarter came in at 178,953 vehicles, 907 vehicles or 0.5 percent higher than 2000 – the second best year on record.
General Motors’ Australian affiliate Holden turned in another front-running performance to grab 21.5 percent of the total market with 14,814 sales.
The General scored a stunning 25 percent of the passenger market to round off its best first-quarter result for 28 years.
Toyota was second in March with 12,886 sales for 18.7 percent and Ford came in a depressed third with 8,784 registrations or 12.7 percent.
Mitsubishi Motors – a company which has come back from the brink for better times – had one of its best months for some time with 7,048 sales to its credit to push its market share to 10.2 percent.
Holden’s executive director of sales and marketing, Ross McKenzie, said: “Despite predictions of an economic downturn and the fall in the value of the Australian dollar, Holden sales continue to forge ahead.”
The GM subsidiary stretched its lead to 5,807 units over Toyota and looks well on the way to reclaiming the No. 1 crown for 2001.
Holden’s Commodore maintained its long-held position as the nation’s best selling car with 7,913 sales – a crushing 3,536 vehicles ahead of its long-time arch-rival, the Ford Falcon.
The Holden lead in the ‘battle of the big Aussie cars’ so far this year is now a staggering 7,059 units, almost unprecedented in this hard-fought market sector.
The Corolla was the star of the Toyota stable and its 2,734 sales eclipsed the 2,370 Camry registrations.
Magna/Verada [Diamante] sales accounted for 1,920 of Mitsubishi Australia’s March sales.
The FCAI’s forecast for the year remains at 780,000 vehicles.
Top selling brands in Australia in March:
- Holden 14,814
- Toyota 12,886
- Ford 8,784
- Mitsubishi 7,048
- Nissan 3,619
- Hyundai 3,510
- Mazda 3,083
- Subaru 2,613
- Honda 2,489
- Mercedes Benz 1,198
Author Mike Duffy is motoring editor of The Advertiser and the Sunday Mail in Adelaide, South Australia.
To view related research reports, please follow the links below:- |
