Australian new vehicle registration VFACTS figures for July 2014 are out, and, predictably, sales have dropped as the start of the new financial year rolls in.
All manufacturers saw big drops in sales, but most positions remain unchanged in terms of the overall top 10 standings. Mercedes-Benz overtook Kia for the second time this year, sneaking into 10th place. Toyota still stands on top as the overall king.
Toyota’s sales were down 5.4 per cent compared with the same month last year. In fact, most brand sales were down compared with July 2013, except for Volkswagen (up 7.7 per cent), Nissan (up 7.4 per cent), Hyundai (up 4.3 per cent), Subaru (up 0.6 per cent), and Mercedes-Benz (up by 29.1 per cent).
The top ten brands for July 2014 were as follows:
1. Toyota – 16,486 (down from 20,808 of June 2014)
2. Holden – 8990 (down from 12,332)
3. Hyundai – 8351 (down from 10,008)
4. Mazda – 8048 (down from 9374)
5. Ford – 6210 (down from 8715)
6. Mitsubishi – 5042 (down from 8281)
7. Nissan – 5451 (down from 7992)
8. Volkswagen – 3991 (down from 6597)
9. Subaru – 3121 (down from 3851)
10. Mercedes-Benz – 2521 (down from 3040)
In terms of the overall best-selling vehicle of the month, the Toyota Corolla crossed the line with the most sales for the fifth month in a row. This is a fantastic achievement for the humble small car. Although it couldn’t match the previous month’s 4648 effort, it easily stood its ground against the popular Mazda3.
We saw some changes to the standings in July, with June’s third-best-seller, the Mitsubishi Triton, kicked out of the top five. This made room for the Aussie Holden Commodore to return to form. The top five models in terms of outright sales for July 2014 were as follows:
1. Toyota Corolla – 3800 (down from 4648)
2. Mazda3 – 3421 (down from 4059)
3. Toyota HiLux – 3140 (down from 4276)
4. Holden Commodore – 2469 (down from 3156)
5. Hyundai i30– 2434 (down from 3243)
Starting with the somewhat sporty Medium Cars under $60,000 segment, Toyota posted decent sales of the Camry despite the financial year kick-off. The popular family sedan went out to 1805 new homes, easily exceeding sales of runner-up Mazda6 (462) and the Volkswagen Passat (322).
Moving up to the more premium Medium Cars over $60,000 class, it was the BMW 3 Series that stood out once again. It recorded 320 sales, bettering anything Audi or Mercedes-Benz could come up with.
Interestingly, the Mercedes CLA-Class actually overtook the popular C-Class as buyers prepare for the new model release in August. In terms of the top five, Audi nudged in front of Lexus and Mercedes to take second place. The top five in this segment were as follows:
1. BMW 3 Series – 320 (down from 503 of June)
2. Audi A4 – 260 (down from 279)
3. Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class – 243 (up from 235)
4. Lexus IS – 181 (down from 287)
5. Mercedes-Benz C-Class – 121 (down from 322)
Stepping up to the bigger guns in the Aussie Large Cars under $70,000 segment, Holden forged ahead with the VF Commodore going out to 2469 new homes. Ford Falcon sales continue to float lower down, with the local company posting just 493 sales (down 552 from June). To regain some dignity, the Falcon reclaimed its usual second place position, taking it from the Toyota Aurion (468 sales, down from 798).
In the same size only premium, the Large Cars over $70,000 segment, Mercedes-Benz managed to almost match its June sales for the E-Class. BMW regained its second-spot place with the 5 Series, nudging the Jaguar XF back into its more usual third-place standing. The top five vehicle sales figures in this segment were as follows:
1. Mercedes-Benz E-Class – 123 (down from 125 of June)
2. BMW 5 Series – 78 (up from 75)
3. Jaguar XF – 62 (down from 95)
4. Audi A6 – 50 (up from 48)
5. Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class – 32 (down from 53)
Now we get into the more exciting stuff. The Sports Car under $80,000 segment saw some changes and shuffling. After losing out to the Hyundai Veloster in June, the Toyota 86 is back in front, posting impressive sales in July.
The Audi A3 Convertible sneaked into forth place, nudging down the Subaru BRZ. Speaking of Subaru, VFACTS is still placing WRX sales in the small car category with the Corolla. It actually posted more sales in July than June. This would make it the third best seller in this segment, where we think it belongs. The top five sellers in the category were as follows:
1. Toyota 86 – 493 (up from 158)
2. Hyundai Veloster – 381 (up from 221)
3. BMW 1/2 Series Coupe/Convertible – 121 (down from 136)
4. Audi A3 Convertible – 68 (up from 33)
5. Subaru BRZ – 67 (down from 133)
(Subaru WRX – 340 [up from 260])
Over in the more desirable Sport Cars over $80,000 category, the BMW 4 Series was able to overtake the otherwise popular Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe as the new C-Class rolls in and buyers hold off. Audi’s A5 pushed past the Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class to take fourth place. The top five sellers in this category were as follows:
1. BMW 4 Series Coupe/Convertible – 158 (down from 181)
2. Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe – 82 (down from 326)
3. Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe/Cabrio – 68 (down from 97)
4. Audi A5 – 51 (down from 57)
5. Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class – 20 (down from 67)
In the pinup wall poster Sport Cars over $200,000 segment, the Porsche 911 might be regarded as the king of sports cars, but last month it was also the king of sales of sports cars. It showed a significant jump from June’s effort.
Aston Martin jumped into the top five, equalling Mercedes-Benz SL-Class sales. The top five in this category were as follows:
1. Porsche 911 – 34 (up from 26 from June)
2. BMW 6 Series – 26 (down from 27)
=3. Maserati (models not specified) – 12 (down from 17)
=3. Ferrari (models not specified) – 12 (up from 11)
4. Jaguar XK – 10 (down from 17)
=5. Mercedes-Benz SL-Class – 6 (down from 12)
=5. Aston Martin (models not specified) – 6 (down from 7)
The popular 4×4 ute segment was dominated once again by the Toyota HiLux. It reported 2356 sales, easily surpassing runner-up Ford Ranger sales (1498), and second runner-up Holden Colorado (1203).
As for Combined 4×2 and 4×4 ute sales, the Ford Ranger forged past the Triton for second spot, while the Holden Colorado went from fifth to third. The Mazda BT-50 also jumped up one position. Sales were significantly down across the board compared with June figures. The top ten 4×2 and 4×4 combined figures for July 2014 were as follows:
1. Toyota HiLux – 3140 (down from 4276)
2. Ford Ranger – 2023 (down from 3214)
3. Holden Colorado – 1443 (down from 2241)
4. Nissan Navara – 1285 (down from 2262)
5. Mitsubishi Triton – 1201 (down from 4124)
6. Mazda BT-50 – 954 (down from 1189)
7. Isuzu D-Max – 923 (down from 1478)
8. Volkswagen Amarok – 462 (down from 989)
9. Great Wall V200 – 90 (down from 123)
10. Great Wall V240 – 53 (down from 72)
Lastly, the SUV segments. Nissan’s new Qashqai jumped straight into and then out of the showrooms. It’s off to a great start after hitting the market recently, posting 604 sales, placing it in fourth spot in the entry class. This success allowed the Mitsubishi ASX to take second place from the Nissan Dualis. The ASX did report impressive figures as well.
In the class above, the BMW X1 jumped to the top of the pack, while the rest of the segments remained unchanged in terms of standings. The Toyota Prado, however, was kicked out and replaced with the new Toyota Kluger in its segment.
In all SUV segments, the top-sellers for July 2014 were as follows:
SUV Small under $40,000:
Hyundai ix35 – 1380 (down from 1851 of June)
Mitsubishi ASX – 1197 (down from 1634)
Subaru XV – 885 (down from 1209)
SUV Small above $40,000:
BMW X1 – 147 (down from 201)
Audi Q3 – 134 (down from 291)
Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class – 117 (up from 84)
SUV Medium under $60,000:
Mazda CX-5 – 1895 (down from 2211)
Toyota RAV4 – 1327 (down from 1351)
Subaru Forester – 1204 (down from 1343)
SUV Medium above $60,000:
Audi Q5 – 302 (up from 289)
BMW X3 – 296 (up from 272)
Range Rover Evoque – 212 (down from 231)
SUV Large under $70,000:
Jeep Grand Cherokee – 1409 (down from 1785)
Toyota Kluger – 1173 (up from 895)
Holden Captiva 7 – 958 (down from 1278)
SUV Large above $70,000:
BMW X5 – 411 (down from 480)
Mercedes-Benz M-Class – 313 (down from 317)
Land Rover Discovery – 233 (down from 287)
SUV Upper Large under $100,000:
Toyota LandCruiser – 645 (down from 778)
Nissan Patrol – 125 (down from 237)
SUV Upper Large above $100,000:
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class – 68 (up from 46)
Range Rover – 34 (down from 46)
Lexus LX – 14 (equal)
Total new vehicle sales in Australia in July dropped compared with June’s figures, with 89,867 sales over June’s whopping 118,309 figure. Sales were also down on July 2013 figures, by 0.4 per cent. 90,235 new vehicles were sold in July 2013.
As for what fuel types buyers preferred in July, the sales figures for private buyers in terms of vehicle fuel were as follows (passenger, SUV, and light commercial combined):
Petrol – 33,842 (down from 49,152 of June)
Diesel – 10,865 (down from 19,456)
Hybrid – 243 (down from 423)
LPG – 23 (down from 39)
Electric – 4 (down from 10)
