Medium cars: May sales overview

By Alborz Fallah
June 06th, 2012

FIND DEALS

Despite the continuing pessimism about the medium car segment, the first five months of 2012 have seen the segment rise to capture 7.8 percent of overall vehicle sales (34,134), compared to 7.3 percent for the same period last year (29,286).

The ever dominating Toyota Camry continues to be the clear victor in the segment taking 31.6% of all medium car sales (under 60k) this month. Year to date the Camry found 8,645 buyers or about 32 percent of its segment.

Honda’s resurgence seems well underway with the Honda Accord Euro taking second spot with 884 sales (15.1 percent of under 60k) followed by the Mazda6 with 531 sales. Fourth place went to the Mercedes-Benz C-Class (495) which dominates the over 60k price category (35.2 percent year to date).

The underrated Ford Mondeo managed 481 sales this month and continues to see its overall market share decline from 13.1 percent last year (Jan-May 2011) to 7.8 percent for the first five months of 2012.

Hyundai’s i45 has also lost 2.3 percent marketshare compared to the same period last year, but those sales have been covered by the i40 wagon which has so far found 682 buyers this year.

The launch of the new BMW 3 Series hasn’t made all that much difference to the Bavarian manufacturer, with year to date sales up by only 47 units compared to the same period last year.

Read our separate story on May 2012 car sales to see the winners and losers for the month.

Top 10 Best-selling Medium Cars – May 2012

Toyota Camry – 1850
Honda Accord Euro – 884
Mazda6 – 531
Mercedes-Benz C-Class – 495
Ford Mondeo – 481
Volkswagen Passat – 443
BMW 3 Series – 425
Subaru Liberty – 415
Hyundai i45 – 354
Volkswagen Jetta – 230

Top 10 Best-selling Medium Cars – 2012 to date

Toyota Camry 8,645
Honda Accord Euro 3521
Mazda6 2779
Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2644
Subaru Liberty 2,171
Ford Mondeo 2,118
Volkswagen Passat 1,930
BMW 3 Series 1,694
Hyundai I45 1,667
Volkswagen Jetta 1,189

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twincharger

A lot of punters like to take a cheap shot at Camry.The dominant car in this class,by far.
- Idsd
  
  Add the Aurion to the Camry and you have the even more sales
- Ryan
  
  thought about fleet sales mate?
  - twincharger
    
    50 auto manufactures in Australia,over 300 differnt models available.Biggest seller Mazda3 just over 5% of total sales.No one in this crazy car market can rely on fleet sales.With so many discounted models available,not even Toyota..
MisterZed

Not sure what’s going on here. i45 should be in the top 5, easily. Optima should be in the top 10, and Jetta should be doing much better than 10th.
- Asd
  
  Well Australia is similar to USA, the i45 (Sonata) is 15th and Optima is 25th.. And those two cars are by far the most popular models of both Kia/Hyundai in USA
- Activ
  
  Not really, if you go up close say between Accord Euro and the I45.. You can see that the Accord is the better car as it’s better made, better interior quality and it drives better..
  
  And i know looks are very subjective, but the Accord Euro has a better design, it has certainly aged much much better then the I45
  - MisterZed
    
    Accord Euro is very old school. 5-speed auto, no direct injection, very simple basic tail-light design (no LED), no push button start.
  - MisterZed
    
    Much less features in Accord. No panoramic moonroof etc.
    - Kampfer
      
      Quality and drivability is more important than features
      - MisterZed
        
        i45 has better transmission – 6 speed auto, and GDI engine with more power & torque.
      - Activ
        
        Yeah it has GDI, but GDI comes with many disadvantages.. Over port injection..
        
        It’s why car like the new Toyota 86 has D4-S injection which is both Port+Direct injection..
        
        Also the I45 engine is loud, i mean its very loud.. Th GDI one.. Not sure why..
        
        The extra 6th gear is only utilized if your cruising over 180Km/h
      - MisterZed
        
        Well it’s nice to hear from someone who knows what they’re talking about. Yes, the i45 engine is loud, and it’s one of the few negatives about the car.
      - plusgood
        
        Just because a a cars geabox has six speed does not make it better than a car gearbox which has 5 speeds; it is not just a case of causality.
      - Daniel D
        
        I had a rental i45 for ten days just recently and I have to say its a mixed bag. The build quality was ok, there were a few look at me features like keyless entry/start, but there was plenty of cheap finishes if you wanted to look around.
        
        Positives were build quality, great use of space both in the cabin and in the boot. Controls were easy to use and logically placed (well mostly) and the car was fairly vice free. Engine was a willing performer if noisy and not that great on economy. The car did a good job of keeping road noise out of the cabin and I had the feeling the car was solid enough and would last you a few years if you kept the servicing up on it.
        
        Negatives were cheap plastics and vinyl like finishes weren’t hard to find. Engine was noisy. Suspension was woeful. It floated over bumps but rebound control was nearly non existent and the car is no handler. This is one area the car is well and truly behind the Japanese and the local Aussie big cars too. Visibility all around is fairly poor with a very high bonnet and small side and back windows. Lighting was inconsistent with no way to dim some controls like the Gearshift selector or the ventilation control. They just glowed away at full brightness no matter what you did. Controls on the steering wheel did the job, but weren’t’ very high quality in feel or tactile feedback. Stereo was very average. Paddles were gimmicky and not relevant on a car like this.
        
        Also maybe its me, but I also had a hard time finding a driving position in this car where my right leg wouldn’t ache after a while.
        
        It did the job I needed of it and I thought it was ok for a cheap car. Then I found out what the price was for one and I am staggered how anyone would walk past a Mazda 6 or Honda Accord to buy one. A couple of weeks before I hired this car I had a couple of test drives of the Mazda 6 Touring, which was cheaper than this car and I would rate it higher in almost every regard. The Mazda didn’t have key-less entry or quite the space, but that’s all the positives the i45 has over the Mazda 6.
        
        For my money the i45 wouldn’t get a look in over the Honda or the Mazda.
      - Shak
        
        This is in reply to Daniel D. You say first that Build quality was simply OK, and then go and say it was a positive. Which was it?
      - Ryan
        
        oh wow 1 more cog..
        and please.. 148kW and 250Nm of torque is not that much of a deal.. its just competent with others in its class.
      - Daniel D
        
        Re build quality. What I meant is everything is screwed together fine and it should have some longevity, but its not best in class for fit and finish.
      - MisterZed
        
        i45 has better transmission – 6 speed auto, and GDI engine with more power & torque.
    - Kampfer
      
      Quality and drivability is more important than features
Mickdim

The Australia’s Best Car magazine ranked the VW Passat on top for the last 2 years in this category. I test drove it and also the Honda Accord Euro and ended up buying the Euro. Although the magazine highly rated the Passat in its category I thought it was crap. The May car sale figures for this category shows that my choice of vehicle, the Honda Euro, was justified!!!
at

I would take the Optima over i45 any day. I think the optima is one of the best looking sedans.
- Aus_poppa
  
  It all depends from where you are looking. In the USA the big sellers in what they term the medium/large sector are Camry, Accord, Nissan Altima and Hyundai Sonata (I45) – all of which are made in the USA or Canada.
  
  In Europe it is the Germans Merc/BMW/Audi in the pemium class- and also taxis – particularly Mercs, but in the mass market brands it is Passat which blitzes the rest, with Mondeo, Laguna, and Opel Insignia, and Toyota Avensis. Accord Euro is a minority player, although made in UK it is probably line ball with 626. I am in France where the Peugeot 3008, Renault Scenic and Citroen Picasso are bigger sellers than any of the sedans.
M.

Love seeing the Accord Euro doing so well. Fantastic Car!
- ABCDEFG
  
  It’s because they have dropped the price down to $26,000 ($29,990 drive away no more to pay) because it’s getting close to the run out mode.
- Antmindel
  
  The Accord Euro is the benchmark in its class,and it has been for many years.
  
  It is now exceptional value for money,and its nowhere near being in run out mode,the 3rd generation is expected late 2013/early 2014.
  
  I am in the USA at the moment,and am surprised by how many new Jettas there are on the roads,it is selling very well here at the moment.
  - ABCDEFG
    
    The current Accord Euro was released in early 2008. So it won’t be long before it’s going to get replaced. In the USA, 2014 model means it’s a 2013 car from what’s I’ve seen.
  - Robj
    
    So true, its easy the best. Hyundai simply don’t understand driving dynamics and neither do those that buy them..
Sumpguard

Optima sales will improve now they have a lower spec model. The one in the showroom up here in Cairns has a SOLD sign on the window and it hasn’t been there long. Good value for 30K.

I agree i45 is dated already.