Vfacts July 2011

[Ford_The_Win]

Originally Posted by jpd80

That's what happens when your major fan support buys their car second hand,
relying on fleet sales to keep it alive and available at a low second hand price.

A nice car that lived way beyond its time that became a victim of FWD rationalization....

Ford stopped private sales of the Crown Victoria quite a few years ago. I thought it was getting the can because it didn't meet side impact safety standards or something? Needs some kind of safety feature that Ford can't fit into it. Something like that. Otherwise I dare say they would keep churning them out. The platform was 15 years old when it was first released

[naddis01]

Top Ten Sales by Model (Marque/Model - Monthly Sales)

1.Holden Commodore - 3,551
2.Mazda Mazda3 - 3,290
3.Toyota Hilux - 3,147
4.Holden Cruze - 3,123
5.Toyota Corolla - 2,502
6.Hyundai i30 - 2,232
7.Ford Falcon - 1,835
8.Mitsubishi Lancer - 1,539
9.Ford Territory - 1,445
10.Mazda Mazda2 - 1,421


Top Ten Sales by Model (Marque/Model - YTD Sales)

1.Holden Commodore - 24,583
2.Mazda Mazda3 - 24,502
3.Toyota Hilux - 21,675
4.Holden Cruze - 19,452
5.Toyota Corolla - 18,278
6.Hyundai i30 - 17,144
7.Nissan Navara - 13,598
8.Mitsubishi Lancer - 11,379
9.Hyundai Getz - 11,151
10.Ford Falcon - 10,918


Commodore regains number 1 spot YTD this month from the Mazda 3. Falcon and Terry back in the top 10.


Top Ten Sales By Marque (Marque - Monthly Sales)

1.Toyota - 12,980
2.Holden - 10,819
3.Ford - 7,769
4.Hyundai - 7,226
5.Mazda - 6,984
6.Nissan - 5,207
7.Mitsubishi - 4,972
8.Volkswagen - 3,428
9.Honda - 3,257
10.Subaru - 3,022
Total Market - 80,991

Top Ten Sales By Marque (Marque - YTD Sales)

1.Toyota - 98,108
2.Holden - 73,389
3.Ford - 52,993
4.Mazda - 50,780
5.Hyundai - 50,204
6.Nissan - 39,180
7.Mitsubishi - 36,458
8.Volkswagen - 23,933
9.Subaru - 21,667
10.Honda - 19,610
Total Market - 577,227

[SteveJH]

Originally Posted by Ford_The_Win

Ford stopped private sales of the Crown Victoria quite a few years ago. I thought it was getting the can because it didn't meet side impact safety standards or something? Needs some kind of safety feature that Ford can't fit into it. Something like that. Otherwise I dare say they would keep churning them out. The platform was 15 years old when it was first released

It could also even be a cost thing. A car of that design and age is probably actually becoming relatively more expensive to build as time and technology advances.

Plus, I doubt it would meet many crash standards, lets face it, cars of even 10 years ago had crap safety compared to even much smaller cars on sale now, how would a 20 year old car compare?

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Ford_The_Win

Ford stopped private sales of the Crown Victoria quite a few years ago. I thought it was getting the can because it didn't meet side impact safety standards or something? Needs some kind of safety feature that Ford can't fit into it. Something like that. Otherwise I dare say they would keep churning them out. The platform was 15 years old when it was first released

Until last year, they were selling near identical though more luxurious Mercury Grand marquis to the public,
you're right about stopping retail sales of CV, I think that happened about three years ago to try and
bolster Taurus sales but in the end, they decided to get rid of the CV-Taurus duplication and save money
by closing down STAP and increasing production at Chicago with whatever Police sales they could get..

[uranium_death]

I just find it frustrating that Holden sells so many Commodores and Cruzes when there are many cars that are just as good and even better that struggle.

Why does the Falcon fall short where the Commodore is flying?

I know that numbers are not the be all and end all, but do people just believe everything they hear, or do people go for the Commodore because it actually is superior?

Or is it just a case of bad dealerships leaving a permanent sour taste?

A friend of mine had an Astra but got stuffed around with the car and dealership, went to Subaru and doesn't think she'll change marque due to the superior service she has received....

[BAGT514]

Originally Posted by uranium_death

I just find it frustrating that Holden sells so many Commodores and Cruzes when there are many cars that are just as good and even better that struggle.

Why does the Falcon fall short where the Commodore is flying?

The answer is simple. Brand marketing...
In country Queensland there is probably 4:1 Holden - Ford ads and the Ford ads are from dealers - not the OEM.
FPV ads - rarely see them.
HSV always has an ad somewhere.

That period where Ford jumped out of motorsport - out of performance cars.
Those kids grew up with only 1 icon to worship and it wasn't the XF or EA Falcon....
Those kids grew up and have money to spend on their own cars and guess what - those past sins have long term effects

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by uranium_death

I just find it frustrating that Holden sells so many Commodores and Cruzes when there are many cars that are just as good and even better that struggle.

Why does the Falcon fall short where the Commodore is flying?

First of all, Cruzes are tight as a drum, have equivalent interior space to a 2004 Mazda6, have Volkswagen levels of refinement, have one of the best interiors in their class and offer a 360nm diesel in a range of variants... and its Australian made whilst being cheaper than the previous Korean version.

Commodore has V8 and wagon, two significant proportion of Commodores are these variants... any suprise? Also Holden can use their siginificant rural dealer network to sell V8 versions whilst Ford has to rely on their city centric and few in number FPV dealers.

And the sports Holdens have a lot more ground clearance (especially the sports utes) and better approach angle. XR Falcons are a pain in the **** with their very low ride height and 8 metre long front overhang that scrapes on everything. One of the biggest turn-offs for me is the FG XR daily carpark or speed hump scrape I get with rental XRs - I could never live with a car that low.

And marketing... I didnt realise Ford could outdo the horrible Burela-era marketing but the current campaign of having a 22 year old girl talking about Facebook whilst attempting to sell a 55grand 2.4tonne turbo diesel 7 seater AWD SUV with 2.7 tonne towing capacity is just bordeline ridiculous (but im sure the 20-somethings on this forum think Ford has nailed their target market...sigh) Luckily for Ford, many cars sell well in spite of their marketing, not because of it.

[Venomous1]

True words spoken that ad made me not want a terri.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Brazen

... and its Australian made

well, its made in australia, true, but that doesn't make it australian made.

Originally Posted by Brazen

And the sports Holdens have a lot more ground clearance (especially the sports utes) and better approach angle. XR Falcons are a pain in the **** with their very low ride height

its the sport model, and you don't like its reduced ground clearance?? seriously, some people will try to find anything to have a whinge about and stick the boots in to ford. the sport model is too low... haha, now i've heard it all!!

Originally Posted by Brazen

And marketing... I didnt realise Ford could outdo the horrible Burela-era marketing but the current campaign of having a 22 year old girl talking about Facebook whilst attempting to sell a 55grand 2.4tonne turbo diesel 7 seater AWD SUV with 2.7 tonne towing capacity is just bordeline ridiculous (but im sure the 20-somethings on this forum think Ford has nailed their target market...sigh) Luckily for Ford, many cars sell well in spite of their marketing, not because of it.

at least we can agree on something.

[Hally]

I am prepared to be flamed, however an important part of the equation for the buying public is looks.

When I look at the current Falcon, especially the XT and even the XR6 to a degree, the first thing that comes to mind is the word 'inoffensive'. It is quite amazing how the G6E looks to have so much more presence than the other two models. And on the volume sellers I think that is a big part of it. The Falcon has a number of superior features to the Commodore (engine gearbox) but to say the Commodore is crap is ridiculous. To the average punter the motor/gearbox combo in the Holden is fine. they look at the visual appeal of an SV6 or even the currently advertised Berlina Internation and they see a good looking car with presence, especially in the wagon.

It is the same with small cars. It is no co0incidence that the two top selling small cars (Mazda 3 and Cruze) have bucket loads of visual appeal. It might not be to our tastes but to the target market they are funky, fun, have personality etc and are well priced, have the equipment the market wants etc. I am not sure that the new Focus has that and pricing will play an important part. On the surface, the Focus is a superior car to German competitors (VW, small Audi's) however Ford is not seen as prestige or aspirational brand.

Just my thoughts.

[anto]

Originally Posted by Hally

they look at the visual appeal of an SV6 or even the currently advertised Berlina Internation and they see a good looking car with presence, especially in the wagon.

Just my thoughts.

now see you've completely lost me right there...presence? they all look the same mate, at least there is a visual difference on the Ford models. And the Xr6 is a damn site better looking than that brick shaped bogandore.

[My poor XF]

Originally Posted by Brazen

And marketing... I didnt realise Ford could outdo the horrible Burela-era marketing but the current campaign of having a 22 year old girl talking about Facebook whilst attempting to sell a 55grand 2.4tonne turbo diesel 7 seater AWD SUV with 2.7 tonne towing capacity is just bordeline ridiculous (but im sure the 20-somethings on this forum think Ford has nailed their target market...sigh) Luckily for Ford, many cars sell well in spite of their marketing, not because of it.

You do realise they are selling to people other than yourself! The percentage of people buying the new territory for use as a family wagon would outweigh the people towing a 2 tonne horse float. So your right they have nailed the target market. The ad was all about the efficiency gains of the new diesel. But im sure you understood that.

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by My poor XF

You do realise they are selling to people other than yourself! The percentage of people buying the new territory for use as a family wagon would outweigh the people towing a 2 tonne horse float. So your right they have nailed the target market. The ad was all about the efficiency gains of the new diesel. But im sure you understood that.

The ad is probably one of the worst targeted ads I have ever seen in automotive advertising, I cant believe I am saying this but I even think the 'fingers' ads which sold the idea of serenity and the open road in a Falcon works better than this.

Perfect ad for selling a $15,000 Fiesta, ridiculous for a 7 seater family SUV.

My wife and I are the perfect market for this car - two teenage boys, users of a novated lease. The ad does not tug at my sense of adventure, camping, caravaning, fishing and travelling on the open road. And it doesnt appeal to my wife who values safety, features, versatility and roominess. Its a nothing ad.

Thank god for the clever print and billboard advertising, pent-up demand due to 3 months of launch delays, word of mouth, fantastic magazine reviews and also it being one of the best family cars under 80 grand - cos the TV ads sure as hell wouldnt be helping.

[BLUEYBA]

Originally Posted by anto

now see you've completely lost me right there...presence? they all look the same mate, at least there is a visual difference on the Ford models. And the Xr6 is a damn site better looking than that brick shaped bogandore.

I can't agree with you more. The style of the Commodore is a throw back to the '70's. It reminds me a little of the Torana with the flared guards. The design isn't ground breaking but just a modernisation of an old design.

[Hally]

It is all a matter of taste to the end consumer. My comments are based on what my colleagues/friends/family who regularly by new cars tell me.

You as a Ford fan feel that the Falcon is a better looking car than the Commodore. Fair enough, but I would argue that the majority of the target market would think differently, that is why they are NOT purchasing the overall better car.

Some of us are buy based on overall value and look to get the best for our dollar (like me). In my experience the maority of people aren't and even with a significant purchase such as a motor vehicle still buy on impulse, fashion looks etc. Most don't need a new car they just want one.

I work in an office with approximately 250 women in it. Everyone in the office knows I am a car guy and a lot of the time ask my opinion. I am staggered how many 25 - 35 y.o women want a Cruze becasue of how it looks and because of it's interior. i would estimate 15 have bought one this year.

[anto]

well my comments are also based on colleagues and friends. One of which in fact was a died in the wool holden guy who bought a new territory over a captiva and is looking at trading his commo on a XR6 turbo. Why? because shock horror....it is a better car! His words not mine.

The issue for Ford is people just dont know how good the car is. How they solve that is anybodys guess.

[Carby]

Originally Posted by anto

now see you've completely lost me right there...presence? they all look the same mate, at least there is a visual difference on the Ford models. And the Xr6 is a damn site better looking than that brick shaped bogandore.

The visual difference between models is not much and the FG overall is quite a conservative look in my opinion.

HALLY is right though - for the average punter the Motor/Transmission in the Commodore is fine - but why is there such a discrepancy between the makes? Is it just poor Ford marketing or some other perception? Perceptions count - how else could Toyota sell so many Corollas when the car is clearly not the best in class? The reliabilty perception maybe? Is the Falcon suffering from some poor perception like dealer service or even the Taxi perception? I don't know but it really should be doing a lot better on the sales graphs.......

[Hally]

Anto - in my posts I have mentioned that I think that both the Falcon and Focus are better cars than their closest competitors.

[aualright]

Interesting figures when you look at the different classes between Ford and Holden.

Escape (175) v Captiva 5 (318) = Holden win
Falcon (1835) v Commodore (3551) = Holden win
Falcon Ute (454) v Commodore Ute (876) = Holden win
Fiesta (877) v Barina (620) = Ford win.....didn't include Spark
Focus (975) v Cruze (3123) = Holden win
Mondeo (562) v Epica (175) = Ford win
Ranger x 2 (356) v Colorado x 2 (111) = Ford win
Ranger x 4 (981) v Colorado x 4 (854) = Ford win
Territory (1445) v Captiva 7 (765) = Ford win

That's 5 to 4 to Ford from a class perspective. Not sure what it means other than I think Ford is competing well with our arch rivals and just need the Falcon to give us a leg up.


****

[Joe5619]

Step back boys & girls we have some marketing experts in here! All of whom I'm sure have marketing degrees & work as marketing directors! I truly hope I get the chance to work in some of the companies they are marketing directors for, because they must be the most successful business in the world!!!!!

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by aualright

Interesting figures when you look at the different classes between Ford and Holden.

Escape (175) v Captiva 5 (318) = Holden win
Falcon (1835) v Commodore (3551) = Holden win
Falcon Ute (454) v Commodore Ute (876) = Holden win
Fiesta (877) v Barina (620) = Ford win.....didn't include Spark
Focus (975) v Cruze (3123) = Holden win
Mondeo (562) v Epica (175) = Ford win
Ranger x 2 (356) v Colorado x 2 (111) = Ford win
Ranger x 4 (981) v Colorado x 4 (854) = Ford win
Territory (1445) v Captiva 7 (765) = Ford win

That's 5 to 4 to Ford from a class perspective. Not sure what it means other than I think Ford is competing well with our arch rivals and just need the Falcon to give us a leg up.


****

Just remember that Holden are geared to two shifts while Ford are geared for one shift.
Therefore, Holden has to at a minimum sell twice as much local product as Ford to be on par..

[uranium_death]

I think the Cruze looks frumpy and outdated on the outside. The back looks sloppy as hell - I hate the Honda Civic's back, and the Cruze reminds me of it...

The Corolla sedan is another car that I find hideous, boxy and just outright ugly, but people buy it. Is style actually that important nowadays when it comes to cars?

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by anto

now see you've completely lost me right there...presence? they all look the same mate, at least there is a visual difference on the Ford models. And the Xr6 is a damn site better looking than that brick shaped bogandore.

I can agree with the non sport models. They are so bland, there is no eligance and they look the same. I can sorta see the appeal on the sports models though but nothing to write home about.

[vztrt]

http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-new...804-1icu9.html

New car sales continue to slide
Matt Campbell
August 4, 2011 - 5:42PM

July results show a slowing market, with home-grown Commodore edging overall lead.

Tough economic times and the Japanese natural disaster have been blamed for yet another slow month for new car sales.

Official July sales results from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries show that 80,991 new vehicles were sold during the month - a drop of 1.7 per cent on July 2010's figures (82,376). Overall sales are down 5.9 per cent on last year's numbers.

FCAI acting chief executive Steve Payne says the supply constraints imposed by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami earlier this year are expected to ease in the coming months.
Advertisement: Story continues below

"The supply of vehicles and components from Japan following the earthquake and tsunami in March has improved, however sales of several popular models were still affected by supply constraints," Payne says, referring to models such as Toyota's Corolla which has seen a drop of 18.8 per cent in 2011 due to the supply problems.

Payne says the slump in sales shows that consumers are "continuing to delay new vehicle purchases", with private sales having dropped by 8.0 per cent compared to last year. But he remained cautiously optimistic, saying the FCAI expects "annual sales to be around 1 million vehicles for 2011".

The top-selling car for the month was Holden's Commodore (3551 units sold), which clawed back the overall top spot from Mazda's 3 small car (3290 sales) - year-to-date figures show the Commodore is ahead of the Mazda3 by just 81 sales (24,583 vs 24,502). Toyota's HiLux claimed third place in July with 3147 sales, while Holden's locally-built Cruze small sedan accounted for 3123.

Luxury SUV sales have proved to be the strongest segment in 2011, thanks to increased competition which has lead to better value for money. Sales have increased 17.4 per cent year-to-date, with top-sellers for July including Volkswagen's new Touareg (279 units), BMW's updated X3 (258) and Jeep's Grand Cherokee (255).

The top ten for July:

1. Holden Commodore (3551)
2. Mazda3 (3290)
3. Toyota HiLux (2WD and 4WD: 3147)
4. Holden Cruze (3123)
5. Toyota Corolla (2502)
6. Hyundai i30 (2232)
7. Ford Falcon (1835)
8. Mitsubishi Lancer (1539)
9. Ford Territory (1445)
10. Mazda2 (1421)

[vztrt]

http://www.caradvice.com.au/131019/n...res-july-2011/

New Vehicle Sales Figures July 2011
By Alborz Fallah | August 3rd, 2011

July 2011 Australian New Car Industry Sales Figures

1 Toyota 12,980
2 Holden 10,819
3 Ford 7,769
4 Hyundai 7,226
5 Mazda 6,984
6 Nissan 5,207
7 Mitsubishi 4,972
8 Volkswagen 3,428
9 Honda 3,257
10 Subaru 3,022
11 Kia 1,865
12 Mercedes-Benz 1,773
13 Suzuki 1,660
14 BMW 1,343
15 Audi 1,050
16 Great Wall 657
17 Jeep 588
18 Land Rover 505
19 Isuzu 490
20 Volvo 462
21 Lexus 461
22 Peugeot 401
23 Renault 303
24 Dodge 234
25 Skoda 230
26 MINI 226
27 Chery 161
28 Citroen 137
29 Porsche 135
30 Fiat 130
31 Alfa Romeo 121
32 Proton 118
33 Ssangyong 116
34 Chrysler 51
35 Jaguar 44
36 Smart 16
37 Saab 14
38 Ferrari 14
39 Maserati 10
40 Aston Martin 10
41 Bentley 9
42 Lamborghini 2
43 Lotus 1

[MrZ]

Originally Posted by Ford_The_Win

Ford stopped private sales of the Crown Victoria quite a few years ago. I thought it was getting the can because it didn't meet side impact safety standards or something? Needs some kind of safety feature that Ford can't fit into it. Something like that. Otherwise I dare say they would keep churning them out. The platform was 15 years old when it was first released

No I think it's because it's a ladder frame construction, like a pickup truck. The platform I believe dates to 1979 which is when Ford "downsized" from the huge 1970s monsters. When did Ford Australia switch from ladder to unibody ? Was it the 70s?

[Auslandau]

175 Epica's sold in 1 month is enough proof for me that the badge is more important than the car to some. Must be the great adverts for them and the presence they have on the road ............. just frightening!

[naddis01]

I didn't think they still sold the Epica?

[XR Martin]

US Police departments like the Crown Vic, because its cheap to fix, and its about as reliable as you can get. Some US departments have to keep cars for up to five years.
I seriously doubt theres another car on the planet than could take the day in day out abuse that the Crown Vic can.

[MrZ]

Originally Posted by Auslandau

175 Epica's sold in 1 month is enough proof for me that the badge is more important than the car to some. Must be the great adverts for them and the presence they have on the road ............. just frightening!

Why? The Epica is $23,990 drive-away, which is small car money for a medium sized sedan. This is the exact same price as a Cruze automatic, but with a much better 2.5L (vs 1.8L) engine.

When you look at the diesel, the argument in favour of the Epica becomes stronger. Cheapest Cruze diesel auto = $27,990 drive-away. Epica diesel auto = $25,990 drive-away. $2k less, for a bigger car!

Makes you wonder why so many people buy the Cruze over the Epica.