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New Vehicle Sales Figures August 2009

By Alborz Fallah |

New Vehicle Sales Figures August 2009

1
 Toyota 15,994
2
 Holden 9,505
3
 Ford 7,623
4
 Hyundai 5,980
5
 Mazda 5,863
6
 Mitsubishi 4,551
7
 Nissan 3,657
8
 Honda 2,841
9
 Subaru 2,602
10
 Volkswagen 2,115
11
 Kia 1,638
12
 Suzuki 1,559
13
 Mercedes-Benz 1,400
14
 BMW 1,290
15
 Audi 1,009
16
 Peugeot 412
17
 Lexus 402
18
 Isuzu 323
19
 Volvo 313
20
 Land Rover 306
21
 Great Wall 228
22
 Renault 210
23
 Jeep 202
24
 MINI 160
25
 Skoda 145
26
 Chrysler 135
27
 Fiat 133
28
 Citroen 132
29
 Proton 120
30
 Alfa Romeo 102
31
 Dodge 98
32
 Saab 75
33
 Jaguar 74
34
 Ssangyong 66
35
 Porsche 64
36
 Smart 25
37
 Ferrari 16
38
 Hummer 10
39
 Maserati 10
40
 Aston Martin 3
41
 Lamborghini 3
42
 Rolls-Royce 3
43
 Bentley 2
44
 Lotus 2
45
 Caterham 0
46
 Maybach 0
47
 Morgan 0

 
  • UK

    Why is Honda in the 8th place?

    • Hagar

      Honda = nice car to look at, reliable, good resale BUT standard models are always underpowered and overpriced.

  • G

    Because all their models are expensive.

    • S

      Honda seems to be on a massive downward trend. Not helped by overpriced cars like the City.

  • UK

    Many people think the new Honda’s City is expensive. But look at the Jazz. It has the same price as the City. But none complains about the Jazz’s price. How come?

    • Toxic_Horse

      Because only chicks would buy it and they don’t post here much.

    • TTrs

      Actually, most of the other countries Jazz are cheaper than city

  • Jonathan

    Only in Australia, Honda is losing popularity. In countries where it matters (ie. those countries with much higher new car sales numbers) like North America, Japan and other developed Asian countries, Honda is often ranked second to Toyota in terms of sales numbers. Mazda, on the other hand, don’t do well outside of Australia and NZ. Not sure why Honda don’t sell as well in Australia. Perhaps it’s the Australian people’s perception of the brand or simply their ignorance. I own a new Civic and I reckon it offers the best value in terms of high quality, comfort, performance, reliability, efficiency and a very high tech unit. It is a little more expensive than competitors but overall it is a better car. It’s well worth the extra money.

    • guss

      Sorry to burst your bubble but Honda/Acura is having trouble worldwide.
      Bland design and patchy quality seem to be the main problem.
      You should have looked around before buying your civic, did you even look at a Mazda3? twice the car, built in Japan and cheaper

      • rocket_v6

        atleast hondas turning out a profit in global sales unlike other big players

      • Jonathan

        Guss, I did look at the Mazda3 and seriously it was below Honda on specs. Smaller wheelbase, only 104kw from a 2L DOHC engine (Civic has 103kw from a 1.8L SOHC and uses less fuel and give less emissions). The Mazda was an outdated 4 speed auto, the Honda was a 5 speed. Overall, the Civic is a better car. It doesn’t matter where it’s built, the quality of a Honda is always the same high standard because they use the exact same process and machines to build it. The same cannot be said for other OEMs. Guss, I work in the automotive industry and know every car out there in great detail. My collegues reckon I’m like an encyclopedia on cars. Since childhood I could name every car on the road. If there’s a bigger car geek out there, let me know!

        • mike

          You’re talking about the old model Mazda 3 with the 4 speed auto, the new model has a 5 speed.
          And one one thing you missed is the 2003 designed 3 had a better safety rating than the Civic which scores particularly low for a car designed when it was. Also back when you would have bought you could not get basic safety features in most civics and you still can not option those features in the base or mid range model. You can option those safety features in any Mazda that does not have them as standard.
          10-15 years ago Honda cars where significantly better than their oposition nowadays they have slipped back to nothing more than a toyota clone.
          I test drove the Civic and found as boring as a camry to drive.
          You shold also be aware of the repair cost comparison done on the small cars where the civic cost 3 times as much as a mazda to fix after a small low speed accident, and nearly 10 times as much as a corolla, I hardly think that speaks of good design.
          I miss the gold old days when hondas where something special not cardigan clones of toyotas.

    • Devil’s Advocate

      :-)

  • Vid_Ghost

    Jonathan, Mazda 3 is the number 1 selling car in Canada! for the past few years so Mazda must be doing very well in Canada too! :)

    • G

      What is the size of the market in Canada?

  • Jonathan

    Vid_Ghost, actually according to Jato, Mazda is ranked 7th for car sales in Canada. Honda is ranked 2nd with 11.63% market share YTD up to July 09. Mazda has 7.38% market share YTD up to July 09.

  • Jonathan

    Vid_Ghost, Canada’s number one selling car for 11 consecutive years is the Honda Civic. Try searching on Google.

    • Myke

      Jonathan, that is because the Civic is built in Canada

      • Jonathan

        It doesn’t matter where it’s built, the quality of a Honda is always the same high standard because they use the exact same process and machines to build it. The same cannot be said for other OEMs.

        • Myke

          It doesn’t matter where it’s built???
          Why do you think Toyota in Australia is in No.1 place in sales by such a large margin?
          Its all about fleets, with quality as a backup. Which I can imagine is the same with Honda in Canada.

  • Jinsei

    Jonathan, well I guess it’s Honda’s pricing that has put their sales down. When i look at Honda’s price range from the Jazz to the Accord Euro, i can only say it s expensive especially when comapared with its equivalents. So, many Australians have been inclined to buy its competitors’ like Toyota and Hyundai.

    Honda’s quality is brilliant, so are many others. Look at Hyundai, which only used to be ranked 5th-7th, is stepping up its market share and it s not too suprising if you think of the quality of their cars and the prices they offer.

  • Jonathan

    Jinsei, I’m not so sure if that’s the true reason. Looking at prices overseas, Honda Australia’s pricing is not very different relative to competition.

    I work in the automotive industry and have sampled all makes. Hyundai have improved quite a lot over the years but they’re still no where near Honda’s standard.

    • New guy in town

      So when do you think Hyundai will surpass Honda? Do you think possible?

    • Jinsei

      Maybe you re right but I m not very sure if Hyundai is really ‘no where close’ to Honda in terms of quality.

      I ve looked at the JD Power Initial Quality Survey over the past few years. Hyundai has always been at the top 5 and sometimes even ranked 1st among non-premium brands. Even if their quality is not as high as Honda’s like you said, it s quite clear that they are very close at least.

      Also in Vehicle Dependability Survey of the same organisation, Hyundai has been receiving ‘better than most’ verdict, this is not on par with Honda’s but still a respectable achivement.

      • Jonathan

        Hyundai’s quality is one of the best. What I mean when I say they’re nowhere near Honda’s standard is in terms of technology. Their running gear, for example, is coarse and nowhere near as smooth and the motor not as happy to rev as a Honda. That’s just one aspect, I could go on and on. So to sum up, Hyundai’s quality is now excellent and close to Honda (as in it won’t fall apart or break down), but the technology put in is far behind Honda.

      • http://skyline The Salesman

        Then why does Hyundai keep winning the car of the year award. And not the Honda?

        • Jonathan

          Hyundai keep winning the car of the year award?? LOL. Get your facts right first because it really shows your ignorance.

          • Devil’s Advocate

            Wheels Car of the Year is not the only car of the year award in this country Jonathan. Not to mention it is not the ‘be all and end all’ of car of the year awards either. Don’t forget, Wheels also gave the Holden Camira and Leyland P76 their car of the year award as well…… :-) TVFPIC.

  • filippo

    I’d really like Car Advice to further break down these figures. Tell us the top 5 selling cars according to segment: small, medium, large, SUV, etc..

    • Devil’s Advocate

      Plus I wouldn’t mind seeing a breakdown of private/fleet sales as well.

      • DesignEng©™

        What about:
        Country of manufacture & Petrol/Deisel/LPG/Hybrid in private/company/govt breakdown.
        The data for all that is available, why not inform the public??

  • PaulS

    Massive decline for Honda….. They cracked the 50k annual sales last year and were aiming for 60k annual sales this year…. at this rate, they would only be making less than 40k sales!

  • DesignEng©™

    The top ten selling vehicles for the month were:
    Toyota Corolla 3659, Holden Commodore 3329, Mazda3 2898, Ford Falcon 2449, Toyota Hilux 2327, Toyota Camry 2192, Mitsubishi Lancer 2171, Hyundai i30 2105, Holden Cruze 1971 and Hyundai Getz 1868.

    BTW very much dislike the new web layout:
    slow to load, no voting/report buttons, nested comments a bit iffy.
    Everything that made CA unique is now gone – sorry guys it’s a “thumbs down” from me, and I’m sure i will be here far less often from now on (will probably please some close-minded individuals)

    • swampdawg

      DesignEng©™
      Thanks for the info. and I agree that the new Layout is absolute crap.

    • MrQuick

      The load times are substatially slower, the old site was remarkably simple, fast load times.

      The commenting section is improved slightly me think, you can actually respond to comments.

      But I dont understand why poeple simply can’t click the reply button when posting a comment in reference to comments posted previously, it just defeats the whole purpose of having a reply button and just creates disjointed conversation.

      Anyway, back on topic, thanks for that info, interesting seeing that many Hyundai i30s, didn’t think that they were that popular

      • http://www.caradvice.com.au/ alborz

        Hey there,
        Interesting you say that, the idea is to reduce load times and we’ve seen a substantial increase in our traffic since the new theme. Please give it some time, it’s a work in progress and it will evolve into much more in due time

        • DesignEng©™

          I can definitely confirm the slower load times – up to 20-30% longer and I still think that there needs to be some mechanism for reporting some of the offensive comments.
          I also find the new look far too bright, as anyone who has a “spot” or “floater” in an eye.

        • MrQuick

          I think that the site itself loads considerably quicker than all the other automotive blog sites (autoblog, jalopnik, etc).

          The home page takes a while to load and is a bit ‘laggy’ at times, I think its because of that flash player(?) based section, featured articles I think, at the top of the home page, that takes a while to load and generally slows the whole site down a bit.

          But overall, as DesignEng said, certainly loading slower, though I have to say I’ve realised that it loads and works slightly better in Firefox than it does in Internet Explorer.

          It is all nitpicking in the end, I am liking the new site though.

          Good luck with the drive today

      • Martin

        I’d disagree about the load times, since the new style, I have been able to access it far more quickly.

    • mh2408

      Where did you find the top ten breakdown, Design? No one seems to publish a comprehensive list.

      Agree with your second comment too.

    • Bavarian Missile

      here,here,DE ………….

  • Rental

    When looking for a small/medium car I tried the Civic sedan.
    Headroom was poor, trim was coming away and the dash very disco.
    Oz delivered Civics are built in Thailand.
    I’m sure the Japanese built ones are better.
    I reckon the hatch would be much more successful but we only get the expensive Type R.

  • http://www.vivagoal.com/images/wallpapers/bmw_m3_6.JPG Yanzo

    damn look at the gap from toyota to holden! and i didn’t think hyundai would be up that high!

  • New guy in town

    yanzo

    Hyundai-Kia challenging NO 3

    3. FORD – 7623

    4. Hyundai-Kia – 7618

    For your information, Hyundai-Kia is same company.

    • Andrew M

      It actually reads…………

      Hyundai 5,980

      Kia 1,638

      Since when was more than one brand displayed as a combined total??

      Care to add all the GM and Ford owned brands together then in order to create a misleading total too???

      Also I never care much for the sales rankings.
      I mean yeah Hyundai is doing Ok, but does that mean they have better vehicles than the 5th placed mazda who they are just ahead of???

      • New guy in town

        Yes, you right. Andrew M.
        I would like to know total figures of all the GM and Ford owned brands also.
        Modern auto industry is getting globalized and it is very important, who owns who.
        As far as I know, Hyundai own Kia and share many things each other.
        Such as engine, platform and many other related car parts.
        Lexus could sucessful, because Toyota was behind and control.
        I respect Toyota in that aspect and they were so smart.
        So people trust Lexus because they trust Toyota.
        I am not an expert in auto industry and probably, I dont have much information as you have. Please let me know which brands GM own and Ford own.
        I wonder why GM and FORD are suffer. Which Brand is damaging GM and Ford?

        • Hagar

          Wiki says: Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake in Mazda of Japan and Aston Martin of England. Ford’s former UK subsidiaries Jaguar and Land Rover were sold to Tata Motors of India in March 2008.

          General Motors owns:
          -Buick
          -Cadillac
          -Chevrolet
          -Daewoo (GM owns 44%)
          -Fiat (GM has decided to divorce itself from Fiat as of Feb ’05, but will retain 10% ownership.)
          -GMC
          -Holden
          -Hummer
          -Oldsmobile (brand discontinued)
          -Opel
          -Pontiac
          -Saab
          -Saturn
          -Suzuki (2.5%, from 20%)
          -Vauxhall

          • Acfsambo

            Hagar, Ford don’t own Aston Martin anymore.
            Ford own;

            Ford (dur)
            Mercury
            Lincoln
            Mazda (used to be 33%)
            Volvo (cars)

      • whatefa

        I’d rather drive a Hyundai than be seen behind the wheel of a Mazda that looks like it belongs on Thomas the Tank Engine

        • Martin

          Agreed.

      • http://skyline The Salesman

        Andrew M.

        It’s a fact that you can not be the fourth highest car manufacturer without repeat and referral business. Obviously Hyundai – Kia make good products, if they didn’t people would not buy them again and again or refer friends and family.

        • New guy in town

          Salesman.

          It is personal interesting, but do you sell Hyundai and Kia?

          • http://skyline The Salesman

            I have been selling cars for 12 years and have a solid knowladge of all products. Yes i work for the Hyundai – Kia group and have for some time.

          • New guy in town

            Salesman.

            There is no doubt you have all the experiences and knowledge.
            Many of sales person selling their product without much of knowledge.
            They cheat sometimes and manipulate customer only for cash.
            I am sure you are not the one, since you selling Hyunda-Kia product.
            This website and especially this page, the data offered above proves Hyundai-Kia is not a simply budget company anymore but a reliable mager league.
            Unfortunately many people try push themself not to accept the fact. They belive what they belive.
            Without any adding or deleting, all the comments of this page showing the truth they have to face the fact that Hyundai-Kia is selling good product with good price.
            Why don’t you copy this tread and show to your customer, when they visit your showroom in the future. How easy job. All comments of this page advertising product you are selling. BTW When Genesis and Genesis coup arrive Australia? Any news?

        • Andrew M

          T/S,
          that may well be a fact, but whats that got to do with my counter argument about combing sales totals of more than one brand???

          But while you are on that topic, I agree yes that Hyundai delivers great value for money, but you are deadset kidding yourself if you think they are up to the quality of Mazda as I mentioned.

          If they are getting repeat customers, its for the low price point, nothing more.
          Price a Hyundai a few grand dearer and sit it next to that mazda I talk of and you wont sell a single one

          • Jinsei

            Andrew,

            If a car maker gets repeat customers that is definitely not only for its low price.

            Who on earth would buy a sub-standard car for a second time only for its price?
            especially if that car always had mechanical/electrical problems and cost the owner a lot of time and money already?? By the same token, who would ever refer their friends of family to a particular brand if the only good thing about the brand is low price and its cars are full of problems?

            So, obviously there are a lot of referred customers for Hyundai-Kia not because it s ‘only’ cheap but because their customers are satisfied with the quality of their cars ‘and’ competitive prices.

            I think you need to be more rationale. I know Mazda is a great quality producer but it s not even half as big as Hyundai alone (without Kia sales). Do you really think they could’ve done that only by offering sub-standard cars with heavy discounting?

          • New guy in town

            It is not hard to imagine why Hyundai cannot bring all the high-end quality product like Genesis sedan to Australia because most people still living in the past
            Please look around outside australia such as middle east,china and rusia where people being wealthy and enjoying luxury life. They consider Hyundai as same level as Toyota or even Lexus. Hyundai Equus is a good example for Hyundai can produce something high-end. I’ve never heard Mazda or Honda produce V8 RWD high-end luxury?
            Better check this out what is going on outside. It is website for middle east where all the luxury brand’s battle field.

            http://www.hyundai-genesis.com/

          • http://skyline The Salesman

            Andrew M,

            If the quality is not as good as Mazda then why does the Hyundai i30 keep winning car of the year?

  • Robin Graves

    I cant get over Great Wall, people are actually buying those things. Well I’ve been proven wrong as I thought they would flop. Imagine Hyundai’s figures if they had a ute range, great diesel engines, reliable, good warranty. I think they are missing an opportunity there as Hiluxs are way overpriced, Navara’s seem to break down a lot which only leaves BT-50 and Triton (and Great Wall obviously). Interesting no Mahindra numbers again – would be good to see how they rate against GW

    • Toxic_Horse

      Well if you’re after a duel cab ute you would be mad not to, 26 Grand drive away for a 4×4 Duel cab tonner with the same features as the others that cost almost twice as much.

      • Devil’s Advocate

        I would love to see a ute ‘duel’. “Doors open at 100m”!!! I bags not being in the Great Wall ute as I have seen how bad Chinese cars can be in a head on! ;-) TVFPIC

        • http://skyline The Salesman

          I just viewed my very first Great Wall car. Holy Crap IT’S GOOD!!!!! Talking to the tradie who bought it he explained that the value GW offer is just too good to go past. In fact i could not stop him talking about the car. If all of GW’s customers are as happy as this guy then word of mouth will spread like wild fire.
          I’m glad my products don’t compete with them.

          • Andrew

            What do you sell, Salesman?

    • Biggies

      Robin Graves, very soon Ateco will import another Chinese brand call Chery. They are OK as well…

  • jon

    Toyota are doing well, I personally think they make boring cars but they are well built. But gee Ford is being caught by Hyundai,its not looking good for them.

  • nobody

    Crikey! Rolls-Royce selling as many cars as Aston!?

  • Andrew M

    Yeah I agree on the poor format for following comments.

    As a suggestion, perhaps a replied to comment shall fall to the bottom of the page in order to be brought to the followers attention?????

  • Alex

    wow, another slow selling month for Fiat…

    • Reality

      GETS WORSE, JUST ONE MODEL NOW……

      WILL THEY PULL THE PIN AGAIN?

  • AAA

    Corolla 3659 units
    Mazda3 2898 units

    The new Mazda3 should sell a lot more than then previous one because it’s a new model. But the fact is it’s trailing the 2 year old Corolla. Obviously thanks to the new Mazda3′s fugly grin. And on the first month when the new Mazda3 was on the market, there were hoo-ha’s that it out sold the Corolla. It doesn’t take much to figure out that most of the volume came from the run out sale of the previous Mazda3, which out sold the Corolla for some months.

    • http://OzMPSclub.com OzMPSclub

      The Mazda 3 is still selling well for a car that doesn’t sell to the fleet market…I would be interested to see if all the fleet sales were taken out of the Corolla’s figures were it would sit within the small/mid sector…the Mazda 3 outsold the Corolla when the fleet sales were down……its your opinion on the front of the 3 but its a new and bold look that Mazda has taken and for me it looks great….the new MPS is selling well…

      Monthly and YTD figures for the Mazda3

      Mazda3 – 2,810 – 23,711
      Mazda3 MPS – 88 – 168

      Considering that the Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Holden small cars are selling well and cheaper than the 3 I think its doing well..

      1. Toyota Corolla – 3,659
      2. Holden Commodore – 3,329
      3. Mazda Mazda3 – 2,898
      4. Ford Falcon – 2,449
      5. Toyota Hilux – 2,327
      6. Toyota Camry 4-cyl – 2,192
      7. Mitsubishi Lancer – 2,171
      8. Hyundai i30 – 2,105
      9. Holden Cruze – 1,971
      10. Hyundai Getz – 1,868

    • Lukaas

      Thats because… as most here stated. And I agree..

      The styling of the Mazda 3 is too feminine. Strong sales at the start, which was expected BTW. But in the long run, Toyota Corolla has more legs. I personally drive a Corolla as a daily driver (over 100km a day) and its fine for what it does. Service fees are minimum at around $250 per 10K at a dealership too. And I get around 600~650 km per full tank. Insurance also at aqround $650 a year. Its one of the cheapest to maintain and run. Mazda 3 is slightly more expensive in all those categories.. and retail price is about $2000~$3000 more.
      Resale value wise… similar. But Corolla you tend to keep longer as styling is not as ‘distinct’ as Mazda 3. Mazda went for strong theme in their design, the pro being its attractive, specifically to the female gender, but con is, it pushes away the average male buyer and also the styling tends to grow older quicker.

      Its a pity that the current Mazda 3 MPS takes a back seat to the previous one, I find the new MPS ironic that it looks “soft” yet packs a nice engine… the previous one was an all-rounder, good looks and good performance.

      • Falcodore

        AAA & Lukaas, the reason the Corolla is selling more than the Mazda3 again can be summed up in 2 words: Fleet sales.

        • mike

          Two words for you Falcodore
          Smart answer!
          I thought it would have been obvious to everyone but apparently not.
          Even as a private buyer Toyota was offering discounts as I walked into their dealership, it took months of haggling to get a discount off a Mazda, they don’t need to cheapen their cars by discounting when people are queing up for thier models.
          Look at the advertising out there almost every car company is advertising thousands of dollars off their cars, not Mazda all they need to offer is one aditional year of warranty, every other car company is the top 5 is advertising BIG price cuts not Mazda they are stilll selling their cars just on their merits.
          (and yes I am biased I’ve had Mazda for 19 years but I still drove many other makes before buying my new 6. Zoom zoom)

    • Devil’s Advocate

      Sorry to burst your bubble AAA, but as has been said numerous times, the ‘hoo-ha’ from the first month when the new 3 was released was mostly the NEW 3 and not the ‘old run out’ model. Mazda had pretty much already sold all of their old models in most specifications BEFORE the new 3 even arrived. The situation was so bad that Mazda Australia asked Head Office to bring forward the release of the new car, which they did by 2 months. Mazda didn’t really have a ‘big run out’ sale as such on the old 3 as there wasn’t many to actually ‘run out’! But yes, you are right on one thing. The look sure has polarized opinions.

  • Jinsei

    Andrew, you re certainly right in saying that sales volumes don\’t tell everything about a brand and its cars. But you obviously cannot deny that sales are greatly determined by their vehicles\’ quality (eg. performance and reliability).

    Hyundai has come all the way up to 4th not only in Australia but in the global market overtaking Honda, Nissan and Chrysler. Nobody would believe they could have achieved that only with cheerful, cheap cars, lots of discounts and advertising.

    Mazda is doing very well. Most of their cars are Japanese-built(ie. extremely solid build quality and finishing). However, in terms of market performance on a global basis, Hyundai is doing much better and I believe that is only because of their continuous quality improvement. Hyundai\’s sales volume alone (excluding the subsidiray Kia\’s sales) is already more than twice as much as Mazda\’s.

    • Alan

      Stop pretending. Everyone knows that in tough economic times the budget product does well, but when things pick up, their sales drop off agian.
      Hyundai are selling well because they are budget no-nonsence cars, however people don’t aspire to own one – when they can afford something better they will trade out of their Hyundais as quick as they can.

      • Allan

        Seems like Subaru and Audi are also doing relatively well in this tough economic time, are you suggesting they are budget products as well Alan?

      • Jinsei

        Alan, that is such a ill-founded view. Ferrari is doing extremely well in economic hard times like now while Honda, Fiat and Volkswagen are also managing well too. Are you suggesting that they are all ‘budget brands’ then?

        Hyundai-Kia’s global sales have already been on a very strong upward trend well before the economic crisis. It has simply become stronger since the crisis struck the economy. Why? because millions of those who have realised that they actually could afford cars with a lot more safety and comfort features without compromising quality have bought tonnes of Hyundais and Kias.

        You need to get out of your serious brand prejudice because Hyundai is no longer a budget brand. The Genesis, its first rear-wheel drive luxury sedan, has received the North American Car of the Year Award 2009. Hyundai is the very first Asian auto maker to receive the award because even Lexus hasn t got it yet.

        Do you still think Hyundai is a cheap budget car producer like what it used to be?

      • whatefa

        A bit out of touch there Alan LOL

      • Alan

        No actually it’s not particularly my view at all, it’s what many of the experts worldwide are saying – currently. This is not some outdated opinion, but current socio-econonic comment from the experts.
        Sorry guys, but you need to take off your Hyundai blinkers and look at the reality.

        Me? I drive a Sportage – cheap, a little bit nasty, but does the job … for now.

        • Love GT-R

          I agree with Alan. Hyundai and Kia are selling well because they are good value especially in tough economic times. They do cars in their price bracket very well. I will be getting a Hyundai as a second car to get to work and back because that’s all I need it for. People do not aspire to drive Hyundais. Would u pay $50k+ for one?

        • Allan

          Alan, sure thing the opinion is not outdated, it is just not updated either. Afterall punters are looking for value for money, Hyundai doesn’t have to produce excellent cars, decents cars with excellent value for money is more than enough to sell heaps.

        • Jinsei

          I ve always been looking at diffrent figures, car reviews and articles from reliable marketing services firms. Please read again what I said above.

          How do you explain Hyundai-Kia’s sales on a strong upward trend WELL BEFORE the crisis if it was only because they are ‘budget brands’ as you said? Many people were already in crisis when it hasn t even started?

          The Genesis(Hyundai’s first rear-wheel drive luxury sedan) has been voted the North American Car of the Year 2009 beating Mercedes, BMW and the likes. May I tell you its siginificance? This award is something all Japanese makers have tried to get for decades but never ended up getting.

          If you believe the North American Car of the Year Award is what a ‘budget no-nonsencs car’ maker can easily achieve, then I can only tell you to google it. So that you can update you seriously outdated information.. still thinking of the cheap nasty Excell? Well that s now 20 years ago mate..

          You re driving a Sportage?.. that came out 5 years ago.. you need to look at what sort of SUVs Hyundai-Kia is making today. The below is a comparison review of the Lexus RX350 and Hyundai Veracruz, a mid-size SUV not avaliable in Australia. They don t need to be your favourite but you at least need to realise they are no longer budget brands by reading the review.

          Here is the URL:
          http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/suvs/112_0707_hyundai_veracruz_lexus_rx350/index.html

          • Biggies

            Hey Jinsei and guys

            No offense but I found striking resemblence between some Hyundai-Kia models and Honda models. What do you guys think may be its just me huh. Like Honda Civic and Kia Cerato, I think they look similar, especially the front of both cars. what do you guys think??? Also Honda accord and Hyundai sonata, their headlights look alike too. I cant help but wondering, is one of them copying designs from the other!!!

      • http://skyline The Salesman

        Allan,
        The good news is that by the time the economy recovers these bargain hunters will know just how good the cars are. Customers are creatures of habit, once they trust a product they will stick with it. Toyota’s success is based on the same circumstances.

  • John of Perth

    Interesting that the big German – the VAG Group to which we can now add Porsche as well as Lamborghini and Skoda is beginning to become quite a force – watch this space. Oh I forgot the two Bentleys too!

    • Martin

      and SEAT.

      • Jake02

        Except they’re not sold here…

        lol – spam word Skoda :D

  • Aviator

    Can anyone provide statictics on market share in 5 year periods for the past 25 years. My view is that the companies that tailor there offerings to the local market needs are the most successful. Unfortunately not all brands can do this until sales have reached a critical mass so that they can invest in tailored product offerings.

  • Carfanatic

    VAG has a vision to be number one by 2018 and only Toyota stand in their way. As for Hyundai -Kia, they will go from strength to strength as the economy improves. With growing sales and profits comes the ability to afford new technology. Sure they will raise their prices but they will already have a foothold in the market place worldwide. Hyundai are emulating what Toyota have been doing for many years now, building better products and slowly clawing their way to the top. I work for Toyota and understand that Hyundai and VAG are the major opposition due to clever marketing and improvement in technology.

    Incidentally I drive a VW Golf TDi despite working for Toyota, I would love to see VAG reach number one.

    • Jinsei

      VAG keeps walking its way up to the top and I think that s very impressive. I think the company has more take-overs or mergers coming up and so it will only get bigger and bigger over time.

      • Carfanatic

        Absolutely, infact they will no longer be a subsudiary of Porsche as they will soon acquire the debt ridden company for themselves. It was a bold move by Porsche to try to take them over, but it just wasn’t meant to be.

  • Fleetman

    There is a bit of Mazda3 knocking here – love/hate the new front – but the sales figures tell the story. Get rid of fleet sales of Corolla and Commodore, and the Mazda3 sales are well and truly in 1st position. So I really think that for every one that hates the new front, there are ten that love it. I think very boring is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Corolla.

  • Carfanatic

    I agree Fleetman, but people buy the Corolla because of it’s reliability. Still the Corolla does look good when you add HID headlights and change the Grill.

    • Wheelnut®™

      ….and the badge; and the colour; and the interior; and the wheels; and the….

  • Shak

    Did anyone realise that GWM has overtook skoda, a brand which as been higly regarded since its inception. People dont need another cut price German marque. I love Skoda’s cars but people could pay a couple of grand extra and get the well known VW badge. It just goes to show that cut price is generally going to get customers.

  • Andrew M

    Jinsei,
    Answer me this, and answer it truthfully……….

    If the Hyundai product was listed at the exact same price as the equivalent Mazda product, do you think the Hyundais would still be flying out the door???

    Price point is a massive factor when shopping Hyundai.
    Nothing wrong with a low price point, and good on hyundai for bringing affordablilty to the new car segment, but as a package, they are still only mid pack at the moment.
    Take the Getz for one, IMO its the worst vehicle on the new car market, yet they sell buckets of them. Why might that be???
    Im sure you cant keep a straight face whilst saying the 12K drive away price doesnt influence that

    • Jinsei

      OK Andrew, any rationale people can answer your question trufully with a ‘straight’ face.

      1. On your example of the Getz
      Hyundai has few outdated models in its line-up such as the Getz. Australia is one of the very few countries where the Getz is still on sale. In most of other markets(including the US where it generates around 30% of entire sales), they are not even on sale and therefore HARLDY contribute to Hyundai’s global sales.

      So it is utterly misleading for you to suggest that Hyundai’s global sales are mostly generated by outdated cheap models like the Getz. It is actually cars like the Sonata, Elantra and i30 that have contributed most to its sales volume. Forget about the Getz.

      2. Answering your question
      If you can drive away a BMW 1 Series or a Mazda 3 free of charge, which one would you drive home? The answer for most people will be the BMW. You know this is called brand prejudice. Many consumers’ perception of Hyundai vehecles is still staying in the 90′s mainly due to the nasty Excell and many of them don’ t even wanna sit one.

      So its cars are priced lower because it wants to attract consumers and ensure that they at least come in for test-drives before making up their mind NOT necessarily because all of their cars are inferior to your beloved Mazda. (Sorry to embarass you, but they have already received far more awards than Mazda for their outstanding quality from influential consumer organisations like the J.D Power, Consumer Report, AutoPacific and the likes)

      Hyundai is trying to overcome consumers’ brand prejudice and competitive pricing is merely one of the many means it has been using. Think of Toyota and Lexus in the 80′s -90′s, they were priced lower too because they wanted to take market share from their German/American competitors.

      • Devil’s Advocate

        You are definitely right and I fully agree with you about ‘brand prejudice’ Jinsei, however I smell some ‘reverse’ brand prejudice in your comments too! Hyundai make extremely good value for money products that are very hard to beat. Having said that I have never driven a Hyundai that is actually ‘fun’ and ‘engaging’ to drive. I will use the Mazda 3 as an example to keep in line with your theme. Looks aside (after all, looks are only personal), the 3 is a ‘fun’ car to drive with dynamics that are well above it’s price point. It has been proven multiple times to be ONE OF the most ‘actively safe’ cars in the top 20 selling cars on the Australian market. There aren’t many cars in the top 20 that can ‘out brake’ and ‘out swerve’ a 3, except maybe the Mazda 6 (of note during the first “Wheels Active Safety Program”, the previous model 6 in classic trim and on smaller tyres, out “swerved and recovered” and generated more lateral “G” wet and dry than a BMW 330Ci)! That is Mazda’s niche. Whilst they may not have the ‘quality’ you mentioned over Hyundai, the ‘quality’ of the chassis WRT handling/dynamics of Mazda’s passenger vehicles has them near or at the top of their respective classes.

        Even now it is only really the i30 in Australia (can’t really compare their brilliant Genesis as it isn’t available here) that even approaches the ride/handling/dynamics of cars like the Golf/Civic/3/Focus etc. Don’t get me wrong, I am not knocking Hyundai. If I wanted a new car for the Mrs (who doesn’t care about handling and enjoyment whilst driving) to drive around town etc an i30 CRDi would be one of the first cars I would look at. But for ME, I enjoy driving and unfortunately at the moment Hyundai don’t have a passenger car that allows me to “enjoy” the art of driving. They are definitely a force to be reckoned with, but they still have a little way to go with chassis refinement/quality etc.

        At the end of the day, isn’t that what it is all about? Buying the car that best suits YOUR PERSONAL circumstances at the time regardless of brand? I know that is what I do.

        • Jinsei

          Devil’s advocate, I generally agree with you.

          I also feel that Hyundai’s vehicles lack dynamics and ‘fun’ to drive compare to Mazda, Subaru and the likes. Mazdas are definitely more sporty not only in their looks but in handling and overall performance.

          Toyota’s vehicles are even more boring than Hyunddais and seriously lack dynamics but still sell very well. So my point is Hyundai’s reliability now is if not better, at least on par with its compeitors. But i don t suggest that its cars are as sporty and fun to drive as other brands like Mazda or whatever.

      • http://skyline The Salesman

        Jinsei,

        Well said. The combination of style, quality and price is exactly how all major brands carved their way up the sales ladder. The Koreans are already there (as per the above sales table) Next up. The Chinese?

      • mike

        Jinsei
        can you seriously with a straight face call the Sonata an up to date car?
        look at its very poor crash rating barely on par with most cars from the 1990s.
        The launch of the new model and move to the i40 name will highlight just how behind the times the sonata is.

        New Hyundais are great cars especially the i30 but there are still some very outdated models in their line up that need to be pensioned for them to truely compete in 2009

        • Jinsei

          mike,

          Poor crash rating? Where is that from? Base you opinion on established ‘FACTS’ NOT on your biases.

          Please go to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administraion’s(NHTSA) website and find the 2009 Sonata(Current NF) crash rating. BTW, the NHTSA is one of the most reliable auto safety assessment bodies in the world.

          The Sonata has received 5 STARS(Out of 5) in 4 sections(out of 5 sections) namely: frotal driver, passenger, side driver and rear passenger; and 4 stars in rollover. Are you suggesting that this is a ‘poor crash rating’? This is, if not the very BEST, one of the BEST in its class and at least on par with compeitors.

          The current Sonata has also been ranked 2nd place in Motortrend’s family car comparison review ONLY BEHIND the Volswagen Passat beating the current shape Accord, Camry and the likes. Do you think an internationally recongnised auto magazine like Motortrend would vote it 2nd if it is a’ very outdated’ car like you said?

          You re certainly right there are few outdated models in Hyundai’s lineup like the Getz. There are more new models coming up this year like the Tucson. But obviously, it s misleading if you suggest that most of them are outdated and lag behind because based on reviews and ratings, they don’t.

      • Andrew M

        Back the truck up,
        so are you or not saying the Hyundai i30 for example is a better car to drive and own than the equivalent Mazda which is the 3???

        The consumer survey lines are irrelevant as a counter argument as I never questioned the reliability of Hyundais, what I did state is that as an overall car, its still a mid pack performer.

        I actually had a Hyundai in my 2nd driveway prob just on 6 months ago. I know about hyundai ownership so Im not just shooting blind here.
        To my surprise I found myself believing and telling people that The hyundai actually was surprisingly reliable. Im not arguing that.
        Thats the only good point I could say about it though. As far as driving experience goes, it had nothing, and nor do the latest models.

        On retirement of the Hyundai, their dealership did get a visit, however I was disappointed about the standard of the i30 and personally I find it over hyped.

        • Jinsei

          My argument has never been on ‘vehicle dynamics’. I have been arguing on reliabilty (ie. build qulaity and finish etc). In that sense Hyundai is on par with or better than Mazda thesedays as many surveys suggest.

          If Mazda 3 really is more fun to drive that the i30, then good for the Mazda. But does it mean at all that it is a superior car to the i30?
          Sportiness (ie, fun to drive) is not the only factor that determines a car’s quality. It s also about the safety, reliability and design of it too.

          Toyota sells tonnes of Corollas (way more than the Mazda 3) Does that mean it is a better car than the Mazda 3? I don t think so. But it s true that its resale value is higher, and generally more reliable(as in it doen t break down). Even then we still can t say the Corolla is better than Mazda3 can we??

          By the same token, Mazda 3 selling more(possibly because its brand value and relatively more fun to drive) doesn t necessarily mean the i30 is utterly inferior either.

          I am sure many of those who have bought Corollas already knew that the Mazda 3 is better at handling and more responsive that the Corolla. But despite that, they still went for the Corolla because they liked the brand ‘Toyota’ better and the images associated with the brand (such as quality, resale prices etc).

          • Andrew M

            Since when did fit and finish register in reliability surveys???

            Eitherway I still think you are dreaming if you say the interior feel/fit/design etc is better in the i30.
            I was honestly very disappointed when I tried the i30 in the flesh as i was expecting something that was on top of the tree, yet found it to be a mere mid pack performer.

            You say there is more to a car than being good to drive, sure, thats true, but there is also more to judging them on emotive based phone polls which is all you seem to have.

            The Corolla sells heavily to fleets whereas the Mazda doesnt. I think the 3 is the highest selling private vehicle isnt it???
            I generally dont get hung up on those stats but what it proves is how irrelevant sales stats in general are to the consumer based minds

    • Devil’s Advocate

      BIG call on the Getz Andrew M. I would take a Getz over the Holdwoo Barina ANY DAY. Sure it is not the best in class etc, far from it, but there are definitely worse cars out there. It is not even the worst in their own stable considering they still sell the Accent! One thing I have noticed though is the Getz seems to be the ‘small car of choice’ for most car rental fleets!

      • Andrew M

        They still sell the Accent???? Really???

        Well I know someone who owns a Barina, and also someone who owns a Getz.
        For mine and to my surprise the barina is a better finished and slightly more comfortable vehicle.
        I would also suspect the Lion badge versus a Hyundai badge in resale would see the Barina edge ahead.

        Sure the Barina aint great, but its the best of the worst IMO

        • Devil’s Advocate

          The Accent is still on the website!!

  • Steve-Poyza

    Wow! Great Wall have already topped the likes of Renault, Mini, Jeep, Jaguar, Chrysler, all those household brands that we know. They have to be doing something right. What is the safety of their cars like?

  • Carfanatic

    Great wall currently only sell cheap Utes in this country so to compare their sales to passenger cars is not really comparing apples to apples. They appeal to tradesmen on a budget, obviously 228 struggling tradesmen out their that couldn’t stretch to a Hilux or Navara etc.

  • http://skyline The Salesman

    Andrew says:
    September 5, 2009 at 9:08 am
    What do you sell, Salesman?

    Kia, Ford, Izuzu, Proton, Volvo, Landrover and used cars. :)

  • Skoda Convert

    I am amazed to see how well Mazda 3 are doing given the fact that the new VW Golf kills it in every aspect from drive, performance, fuel effiecency, build quality and emission’s. And price cannot be used as a reasoning as you can put the difference between the 2 (apples for apples) to as little as 2-3,000. The facts are undeniable and although i am not a huge car fan by any stretch i must admit that the VW group are exceptionally impressive. I actually purchased a Skoda Octavia wagon almost a month ago and i would have purchase the Golf if there was a wagon variant but went with the Skoda (reluctantly) because it suited my scenario better.

    I must admit i couldn’t be happier, i drove the Mazda 6 wagon and it was a pile of puss in comparison to the Skoda.

    Honda and Mazda are light years behind what VW are offering for a tiny bit more, laser welded chassis, low capacity but high output, low emissions (lower than diesel in some cases) and low consumption. All this with great build quality, greater standard features and amazing technology like the DSG gearbox you would be mad not to spend the extra over and above the other 2. I researched for months before buying and i know i made the right choice, they may not be there for ever but at the moment they are killing whatever pathetic attempts the japs are having at the moment in ether brand.

  • gary

    YEAH GO GREAT WALL ON ITS WAY TO THE TOP 10 !

    • Reality

      GOING TO NEED THE CARS IN THE MIX TO DO THAT, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!