Toyota Gets A Fast Start In 2012 Sales Race

by Brad Leach - 03/02/12

Toyota was Australia’s best-selling automotive brand – albeit with the actual number 752 vehicles down on 2011 (14,065 this January to 14,817 in ‘011).

Holden was again number two with January sales of 9,061 vehicles.

Overall our new car market in January was 76,783 units – 4.3 per cent up on January 2010. Showing incredible growth, the SUV segment last month was up by 29.8 per cent compared to the corresponding month last year, and with the much-anticipated all-new Mazda CX5 joining the SUV party next month, the growth should show no signs of abating.
 

In January, Toyota was the market leader in all key segments – passenger cars, SUVs and Light Commercials. That’s all the more impressive given Toyota HiLux was still in tight supply with Toyota’s Thailand assembly plant still fighting back from flood damage. Hi-Lux sold less than 1,100 vehicles last month – only 33 per cent of its normal monthly total – but Toyota says supply is just about back to normal from this month.

Also good news for Toyota was customer acceptance of the all-new Camry.

“Camry celebrated the arrival of the all-new seventh-generation range with sales up 22 per cent on the same month last year,” explained Toyota sales and marketing boss Matthew Callachor. “With a new Camry Hybrid due inside two months, the new Camry range is set to extend its 18 consecutive years as Australia’s best-selling medium car.”

Mazda and Hyundai resumed hostilities in the battle to be Australia’s leading importer – Mazda claimed that honour in January with sales of 8,479 vehicles to Hyundai’s 6,513.

Ford sold 5,838 vehicles in January to be the fifth best-selling brand ahead of a fast-growing Nissan with 5,358.