VFACTS: Mercedes outsells Holden

MERCEDES-BENZ sold more vehicles than Holden in Australia last month as the former Australian manufacturer plumbed new depths in a deteriorating new-vehicle market.

Holden sold just 2668 vehicles in November, compared with Mercedes-Benz’s 3407.

Even if we exclude Mercedes-Benz van sales and count only passenger cars and SUVs, the German manufacturer still comes out on top with a tally of 2760 vehicles.

According to official VFACTS sales figures, Holden sales in November fell by almost half – 47.9 per cent – compared with the corresponding month last year.

Commodore sales were a contributor to the decline, down by 55.9 per cent to just 309 units.

With a monthly market share of just 3.1 per cent – its lowest in history – Holden slumped to 12th on the sales ladder, behind the likes of Subaru and Honda, as well as Mercedes.

Year to date, Honda has now slipped past Holden for the first time, moving into ninth place with 40,256 sales to Holden’s 39,969.

Holden is clinging to 10th place with a market share of 4.1 per cent year to date – down from 5.2 per cent at the same time last year and 7.6 per cent the year before.

While Holden is arguably suffering the most in the current market climate, it has plenty of mates who have been shedding sales.

All of the top 10 manufacturers except Kia were down again last month, with Japanese importer Mazda down 30.7 per cent.

The overall market fell 9.8 per cent compared with last November as the Australia motor industry sold 84,708 vehicles – a 9152 vehicle drop on the same month in 2018.

Year to date, the market is now down 8.2 per cent, still short of the benchmark million-unit level that will now come in December.

Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) chief executive Tony Weber said the 20th consecutive month of decreasing sales reflected “a tough market – full stop”.

“The industry has been looking for a lift for some time now and has activated multiple levers to achieve some stimulation, including incentives, sales and special vehicle editions,” he said.

“However, the appetite for new vehicles remains suppressed. On the bright side, there has never been a better time to purchase a new vehicle.”

Market leader Toyota might have suffered a 7.2 per cent decline in sales last month, but it tightened its grip in multiple market segments with four vehicles in the top 10 last month, each representing leadership in their various market segments.

The Toyota HiLux ute was not only the top-selling pick-up but also the best-selling vehicle in the country.

The RAV4 was the best-selling SUV, while the Corolla was the top passenger car, and the Camry headed the medium car list.

Mitsubishi continued its strong run in 2019, dropping just 1.3 per cent last month to grab second place with 6861 sales, ahead of Hyundai (6821) and Mazda (6167).

Kia’s stellar performance rolled on with a 10.7 jump in November sales, with its Cerato small car leading the charge.

With a 10.0 per cent sales decline last month, fifth-placed Ford now has Kia breathing down its neck in 2019 sales – 58,461 to 56,563 – with one month to go.

Ford’s SUV range is struggling against hot competition and the Blue Oval company has become ever more dependent on its home-grown Ranger ute that now represents 64 per cent of all Ford sales in this market.

It has not been helped by slow sales of its Mustang sports coupe as buyers await an updated model.

Top 10 selling brands November 2019

Top 10 selling models November 2019