The Australian Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries has released the national VFACTS vehicle sales figures for February 2016, with Toyota and Mazda dominating the charts once again.
In terms of the best-selling car brands, Toyota is at the top of the list. Mitsubishi ovetook Ford for fifth place compared with January, while Honda nudged Kia for 10th. The top 10 most popular brands for February 2016 were as follows:
- Toyota – 16,191 (up from 12,453 of January)
- Mazda – 10,205 (up from 10,016)
- Hyundai – 7701 (up from 7001)
- Holden – 7340 (up from 6824)
- Mitsubishi – 6681 (up from 5007)
- Ford – 6656 (up from 5504)
- Nissan – 5989 (up from 5563)
- Volkswagen – 4922 (up from 4341)
- Subaru – 3538 (up from 3405)
- Honda – 3279 (up from 3116)
It was a close battle between the Toyota Corolla and Mazda3 during February, with the Corolla just edging out on top to be the overall favourite car of the month. The top 10 best-selling vehicles for February 2016 were as follows:
- Toyota Corolla – 3455 (up from 2758 of January)
- Mazda3 – 3354 (down from 3722)
- Toyota HiLux – 3261 (up from 2341)
- Ford Ranger – 2655 (up from 2418)
- Hyundai i30 – 2461 (up from 1852)
- Holden Commodore – 2331 (up from 1242)
- Mitsubishi Triton – 2165 (up from 1405)
- Mazda CX-5 – 2156 (up from 1750)
- Hyundai Tucson – 1849 (down from 2065)
- Volkswagen Golf – 1752 (up from 1606)
Medium Cars over $60,000 – The BMW 3 Series grew its fanbase, overtaking the ever-popular Mercedes C-Class. The Audi A4 also reported impressive figures, turning around from January’s average effort. The top five best-selling vehicles in this class were as follows:
- BMW 3 Series – 403 (up from 389)
- Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class – 346 (up from 219)
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class – 344 (down from 503)
- Audi A4 – 272 (up from 146)
- Lexus IS – 185 (up from 145)
Large Cars under $70,000 – This segment saw a big rise in Commodore sales compared with the previous month. Meanwhile Ford Falcon numbers are trailling along well behind. Toyota Aurion sales picked up from January’s efforts but it is still a long way behind. The top five best-selling vehicles in this class were as follows:
- Holden Commodore – 2331 (up from 1242)
- Ford Falcon – 421 (up from 235)
- Toyota Aurion – 145 (up from 69)
- Hyundai Genesis – 20 (down from 72)
- Peugeot 508 – 16 (down from 21)
Large Cars over $70,000 – Figures were jumbled up a bit from the previous month, with the new Jaguar XF coming home in front for the first time this year (and possible ever). The Audi A6 came in second with the otherwise popular BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class falling behind. The top five best-selling vehicles in this segment in February 2016 were as follows:
- Jaguar XF – 75 (up from 2 of January)
- Audi A6 – 65 (up from 47)
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class – 63 (down from 64)
- BMW 5 Series – 36 (down from 41)
- Maserati Ghibli – 28 (up from 23)
Sports Car under $80,000 – After a cracking effort in January, the Ford Mustang has come out once again as the favourite sports car in Australia. The Toyota 86 is still very popular but it couldn’t catch the American muscle car. The top five best-selling vehicles in this class for the month were as follows:
- Ford Mustang – 356 (down from 389)
- Toyota 86 – 246 (up from 194)
- BMW 2 Series Coupe/Convertible – 156 (down from 205)
- Hyundai Veloster – 122 (down from 215)
- Holden Astra Sport – 114 (down from 125)
(Subaru WRX – 280 [down from 285] – not officially in this segment)
Sport Cars over $80,000 – The BMW 4 Series is continuing its lead here, but the Audi TT is certainly catching up. TT sales jumped from 37 in January to 59 last month. The Porsche Cayman, or 718 Cayman as it’s now called, is hanging in there. The top five best-selling vehicles in this category were as follows:
- BMW 4 Series Coupe/Convertible – 141 (up from 125)
- Audi TT – 59 (up from 37)
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe/Convertible – 55 (up from 33)
- Lexus RC – 44 (down from 47)
- Porsche Cayman – 43 (up from 35)
Sport Cars over $200,000 – Ferrari made its mark in February, nailing home an impressive 19 sales. It’s not quite up there with the Porsche 911, but considering the 911 is around half the price, it’s pretty good for Ferrari. The top five best-selling vehicles in the class during February 2016 were as follows:
- Porsche 911 – 31 (down from 48 of January)
- Ferrari (not specified) – 19 (up from 13)
- Mercedes-AMG GT – 16 (up from 15)
- Lamborghini (not specified) – 9/BMW 6 Series – 9/Maserati – 9/Aston Martin – 9
- Bentley Coupe/Convertible – 8 (up from 4)
Combined 4×2 and 4×4 ute – It’s the Toyota HiLux once again that has been the tradies’ favourite. Popularity of 4×4 utes in general is also increasing with the general public as they are drawn to the practical and active lifestyle of the ‘truck’. The top 10 best-selling utes (4×2 and 4×4 combined) for February 2016 were as follows:
- Toyota HiLux – 3261 (up from 2341)
- Ford Ranger – 2655 (up from 2418)
- Mitsubishi Triton – 2165 (up from 1405)
- Nissan Navara – 1428 (down from 1670)
- Mazda BT-50 – 1269 (up from 1055)
- Holden Colorado – 1259 (down from 1691)
- Isuzu D-Max – 1211 (up from 889)
- Volkswagen Amarok – 779 (up from 592)
- Foton Tunland – 75 (up from 67)
- Ssangyong Actyon Sports – 12 (equal)
Lastly, the SUVs are showing no sign of dropping in popularity any time soon. The most popular segment was the ‘SUV Medium under $60,000’, with 11,735 sales in total. The figure is up 25.3 per cent on the same month last year when 9365 units were sold.
The second most popular SUV segment in February was the ‘SUV Large below $70,000’. Sales only jumped 0.6 per cent compared with 2015. This was followed closely by the ‘SUV Small below $40,000’ class, which saw 8395 sales (up 0.2 per cent compared with Feb 2015).
As for premium SUVs, the most popular class was the ‘SUV Medium above $60,000’ category. This segment reported 2715 sales. Interestingly, this is also the fastest-growing segment, with sales jumping an incredible 101.1 per cent on February 2015 figures. Premium ‘SUV Small above $40,000’ reported 1196 sales (up 86 per cent)
The top three best-selling SUVs in all categories for February 2016 were as follows:
- SUV Small under $40,000:
Mitsubishi ASX – 1621 (up from 1393 of January 2016)
Mazda CX-3 – 1381 (down from 1391)
Honda HR-V – 1152 (up from 882)
- SUV Small above $40,000:
Audi Q3 – 469 (up from 250)
BMW X1 – 374 (up from 183)
Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class – 297 (up from 288)
- SUV Medium under $60,000:
Mazda CX-5 – 2156 (up from 1750)
Hyundai Tucson – 1849 (down from 2065)
Nissan X-Trail – 1669 (up from 1440)
- SUV Medium above $60,000:
Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class – 536 (down from 587)
Land Rover Discovery Sport – 431 (up from 339)
BMW X3 – 394 (up from 270)
- SUV Large under $70,000:
Toyota LandCruiser Prado – 1295 (up from 1094)
Toyota Kluger – 959 (up from 761)
Subaru Outback – 869 (down from 879)
- SUV Large above $70,000:
Land Rover Discovery – 319 (up from 258)
BMW X5 – 451 (up from 254)
Mercedes-Benz GLE – 251 (down from 513)
- SUV Upper Large under $100,000:
Toyota LandCruiser – 679 (down from 685)
Nissan Patrol – 176 (up from 101)
- SUV Upper Large above $100,000:
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class – 80 (down from 85)
Range Rover – 35 (down from 40)
Lexus LX – 20 (up from 17)
Total new vehicle sales in Australia in February were up on January figures. During February, Australian consumers bought 96,443 vehicles, compared with 84,373 in January. Sales are up 6.7 per cent compared with February 2015 though, with year-to-date figures up 4.8 per cent.
When I see the Jaguar XF I see VE Commodore between the bonnet and the boot.
The “Medium Cars under $60,000” section seems to be missing?