Vehicle importers in March sales romp

MAJOR Japanese and German vehicle importers almost universally enjoyed double-digit sales growth in March while local manufacturers Holden and Ford again found reverse gear, preliminary sales figures indicate.

Although official VFACTS monthly figures will not be out until Tuesday, data seen by GoAuto suggests the Australian motor industry has had its best March on record. Top-10 importers had a field day, with the likes of Mazda, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Volkswagen all securing volume increases in the order of 10-20 per cent.

Honda’s March sales appear to have increased by a remarkable 75 per cent compared with the same month last year, although it was coming off a low base.

Among the biggest winners are the Germans, with Mercedes-Benz sales up about 30 per cent year on year, to almost 3000 units in March. If confirmed, that would make March the three-pointed star brand’s second most successful month on record.

Number one full line importer Mazda is already claiming to have had its best-ever month, with the arrival of its new CX-3 compact SUV driving its sales to 10,217 vehicles.

Mazda says the March performance has sealed a record first quarter too, with 28,280 units locked away, beating the 2014 record of 27,785.

But while the importers are glowing, the sales haemorrhaging at Holden and Ford continues unabated, with volumes for those brands down about 13 and 14 per cent respectively, despite heavy television advertising campaigns.

The preliminary figures suggest Holden delivered 8571 units in March, placing it fourth behind Toyota, Mazda and Hyundai, while Ford moved little more than 6000 units for a lowly seventh ranking.

By contrast, market leader Toyota chugged onwards and upwards, with sales of more than 19,000 vehicles for the month – up about 4.4 per cent.

Of the major importers, only Hyundai failed to garner a double-digit sales jump, but still made headway to the tune of about 1.2 per cent, to about 8700 units.