The Toyota Corolla has moved within striking distance of the Mazda 3 at the top of the sales charts after a dominant month in April.
The Corolla notched up 3504 sales last month, easily accounting for the Mazda 3, which managed just 2842 sales in its softest month for the year. Despite its rival topping the charts in the first three months of 2013, the Corolla’s 662-unit April win now leaves it just 217 sales behind the Mazda 3.
Fewer new cars were sold in April than in any other month in 2013 to date, with official VFACTS data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) revealing 85,117 passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles were registered across the country.
The April result represented a 7.6 per cent increase over the corresponding month in 2012, however, and pushed the industry further towards another record sales year in 2013.
Australia’s local manufacturers endured yet another painful month, with the most notable victim the Ford Falcon that hit rock bottom with its worst monthly sales figure in history (717). Read CarAdvice’s separate story.
The Toyota HiLux made it a Big-T quinella in April, edging the Mazda 3 with 2932 sales, while the Holden Cruze (2290) and Hyundai i30 (2150) rounded out the top five. The Nissan Navara (1953) held off the Ford Ranger (1683) to take silver in the ute race and sixth overall, while the Ford Focus (1670) and Toyota Camry (1617) bolstered their brands’ presence in the top 10 in eighth and ninth respectively.
After being bumped off the podium last month, Holden returned to second position overall with 7994 sales in April. Toyota unsurprisingly continues to lead the way, recording another 16,902 sales last month.
Mazda (7833) slipped from second to third, while Nissan (5104) plummeted from third to seventh, losing ground to Hyundai (7315), Ford (6828) and Mitsubishi (5456). Volkswagen (4584) and Honda (3168) enjoyed strong months with double-digit percentage growth, while 10th-placed Subaru (2553) went the other way.
The Toyota Yaris pipped the Mazda 2 in the city-car segment (1329 versus 1240), while the Hyundai i20 (885), Mitsubishi Mirage (859) and Suzuki Swift (822) completing the top five.
The Mitsubishi Lancer (1381), Volkswagen Golf (1345), Honda Civic (1076) and Nissan Pulsar (1015) were the next-best-selling small cars after the quintet that ranked inside the overall top 10.
The Camry continues to dominate the medium-car segment, although a massive month from the new Mazda 6 (912) saw it take a 21.1 per cent share of the sub-$60K sub-category. The BMW 3 Series (313) ranked third in the segment overall ahead of the Volkswagen Passat (297) and Mercedes-Benz C-Class (272).
There were few winners in the large-car class. The Toyota Aurion followed its locally made counterparts with just 469 sales, while the Honda Accord managed 157 in an uninspired segment.
The Toyota 86 (516) dominated the broad sports car segment, outgunning the Hyundai Veloster (354) and its twin, the Subaru BRZ (129).
The Hyundai ix35 (1261) almost doubled its nearest rival, the Nissan Dualis (667), in the small SUV segment, which also comprised 435 Subaru XV and 365 Mitsubishi ASX deliveries.
The Toyota RAV4 (1330) took silver in the medium SUV class behind the CX-5, while the Subaru Forester (1061) and the Honda CR-V (1052) fought a fierce battle for bronze.
The Toyota Prado held off the Ford Territory in the large SUV segment (1276 versus 1260), with the Holden Captiva 7 (1071) and Toyota Kluger (923) following close behind.
Three utes made the overall top 10 in April, the next best being the Mitsubishi Triton (1493) and the Holden Colorado (1088).
Top 10 Best-Selling Vehicles – April 2013
Toyota Corolla – 3504 Toyota HiLux – 2932 Mazda 3 – 2842 Holden Cruze – 2290 Hyundai i30 – 2150 Nissan Navara – 1953 Ford Ranger – 1683 Ford Focus – 1670 Toyota Camry – 1617 Holden Commodore – 1515
Top 10 Best-Selling Vehicles – 2013 to date
Mazda 3 – 13,351 Toyota Corolla – 13,134 Toyota HiLux – 12,125 Nissan Navara – 9571 Hyundai i30 – 8806 Holden Cruze – 7992 Mitsubishi Triton – 6992 Ford Focus – 6857 Ford Ranger – 6556 Holden Commodore – 6510
Top 10 Best-selling Brands – April 2013 (growth over April 2012)
Toyota – 16,902 (+2.0 per cent) Holden – 7994 (+5.3 per cent) Mazda – 7833 (+2.0 per cent) Hyundai – 7315 (+4.2 per cent) Ford – 6828 (+8.3 per cent) Mitsubishi – 5456 (+45.6 per cent) Nissan – 5104 (+8.9 per cent) Volkswagen – 4584 (+20.7 per cent) Honda – 3168 (+27.5 per cent) Subaru – 2553 (–15.0 per cent)
Top 10 Best-selling Brands – 2013 to date (growth over 2012 to date)
Toyota – 64,947 (+1.6 per cent) Mazda – 34,585 (+1.1 per cent) Holden – 32,771 (–10.3 per cent) Nissan – 28,972 (+17.9 per cent) Hyundai – 30,038 (+4.5 per cent) Ford – 27,574 (+3.8 per cent) Mitsubishi – 21,061 (+8.1 per cent) Volkswagen – 16,907 (+7.1 per cent) Honda – 14,743 (+65.4 per cent) Subaru – 12,982 (–3.4 per cent)
Top 10 growth brands – 2013 to date
Chrysler – 826 (+3754.5 per cent) Bentley – 47 (+135.0 per cent) Fiat – 778 (+80.9 per cent) Renault – 1716 (+65.5 per cent) Isuzu Ute – 3063 (+51.1 per cent) Porsche – 590 (+44.3 per cent) Lamborghini – 20 (+33.3 per cent) Maserati – 48 (+29.7 per cent) Alfa Romeo – 408 (+25.2 per cent) Mercedes-Benz – 7940 (+28.6 per cent)
Bottom 10 growth brands – 2013 to date
Proton – 190 (-49.9 per cent) Great Wall – 2389 (-35.4 per cent) Citroen – 376 (-34.4 per cent) Chery – 367 (-33.4 per cent) Ssangyong – 492 (-16.5 per cent) Dodge – 537 (-16.4 per cent) Aston Martin – 23 (-14.8 per cent) Lotus – 22 (-12.0 per cent) Holden – 32,771 (-10.3 per cent) Volvo – 1618 (-9.7 per cent)
