Australian & New Zealand April 2008 Sales Results: Toyota HiLux Tops Sales Charts!!!

[Robert Ryan]

How long until the frames on these HiLuxs rust out and Toyota has to buy them back too?

Uhhhh????

[Robert Ryan]

I've said it a thousand times before ....... hurry up with a Torana already!!
And Ford ..... hurry up with a Cortina or Escort!
AND HURRY UP WITH YOUR DIESELS.
all in all ........ JUST HURRY UP.

I suggest a big neon signs outside Broadmeadows and Fisherman's Bend, so GMH and Ford executives do not forget.

[mikmak]

Originally Posted by Patto1

I'm not surprised a "truck" is now the No.1 selling vehicle in Australia

We have been heading towards this for sometime as light truck sales are booming in Australia, it beats me why Holden + Ford did not catch on and sell the Silverado and F-150 as well........

Once again, Holden + Ford are the laughing stock as Toyota just walk all over them in every segment.

.

I'm sure you know that the Hilux pulls the lowest in its class and has the lowest GCM rating. Toyotas Petrol donk is good but the diesel is no better than the Ranger or Rodeo. The only possible scenarios that I can put my finger on are
a) people don't research their tow ratings before purchasing.
b) people don't require large tow ratings
c) they like the ad for the Hilux


Go to a wreckers and see if you can get a transmission for a 4X4 hilux. I'll bet it will be in the order of $700, whereas a Nissan tranny would cost you about $200 because they have so many serviceable units (although this is probably due to ECUs blowing up but that's another story).

I don't think Holden and Ford have sat on their hands. They just don't know how to combat the reputation of Hilux. My parents racked up 480,000 odd in their 2.8 D dual cab (though the last 120K was with a 253 conversion).

Perhaps the deals for fleet are more appealing to the mines. Lets just wait until all those mining Hiluxs that have been punished in the corrosive humid mining environment hit the second hand market. You can bet that it will only take perhaps 2 years before they turn into dust.

[free_energy0]

Originally Posted by VB3.3

Do you know something we don't?

Early Tacoma's weren't built for salted roads, and they thought (incorrectly) that the level of rust proofing that works in Japan, the West coast, and rest of the world would be sufficient for the Rust belt. As such, they rust out after 12-15 years (about the same as American trucks however). Thusly, Toyota is in the process of buying back 95-2000 Tacos. It's a lesson they should have learned years ago, if not from their own stuff than from the imported Chevy LUV.

[mmciau]

Originally Posted by mikmak

...

Perhaps the deals for fleet are more appealing to the mines. Lets just wait until all those mining Hiluxs that have been punished in the corrosive humid mining environment hit the second hand market. You can bet that it will only take perhaps 2 years before they turn into dust.

I'm told a lot of mine vehicles never leave the minesite after they are no longer economical. They just park them in a shaft.

Mike

[Robert Ryan]

I don't think Holden and Ford have sat on their hands. They just don't know how to combat the reputation of Hilux. My parents racked up 480,000 odd in their 2.8 D dual cab (though the last 120K was with a 253 conversion).

Pretty well sums up the appeal. The ride is not that good, but they have ute like qualities and they "look cool"

[Robert Ryan]

I'm told a lot of mine vehicles never leave the minesite after they are no longer economical. They just park them in a shaft.

That is correct. They are an expendable item, the same thing happens to Toyota Landcruisers that have the longest lifespan of the "cars" used in the mines, approx a year. They Nissans Patrols were next but the Ford F250's lasted about 6 months.

[VB3.3]

[quote=free_energy0;1392175]Early Tacoma's weren't built for salted roads, and they thought (incorrectly) that the level of rust proofing that works in Japan, the West coast, and rest of the world would be sufficient for the Rust belt.

Salting is not a big issue in OZ! Unless you like beach driving and Hiluxes don't seem to suffer any more or less than any other fourby that does alot of beach work.

[VB3.3]

Originally Posted by Robert Ryan

Pretty well sums up the appeal. The ride is not that good, but they have ute like qualities and they "look cool"

The stock spring over axle leaf in the older SFA models helped them get near cult status, even with IFS you can still run some decent rubber.

[Ssom]

If Toyota of Aus is anything like Toyota of NZ, then chances are there is a sizable discount given to registered tradesmen on Hiluxes. I can't quite remember how it works, but when my uncle bought his Hilux earlier this year he paid less than he would for a slightly used one.

[davidlock]

For those that are interested the GM website says that it sold 2126 Pontiac G8s in April with 777 sold in March the first month on sales. Thats a pretty solid result for only being on sale for two months, hopefully good profits are being made on each unit. Does anyone know how many Epica's were sold in Aussie in April?

[BBDOS CV8]

Holden sold 139 Epicas, but I wonder if that's due to a new model coming. There is a new model in Korea and we are supposed to be getting it here.

My local Holden dealer is looking pretty bare these days, even HSVs seem to be thin on the ground. I don't think they're having problems moving stock, more like getting it. Both Holden-made and GMDATs. As of the weekend they had no Epicas, one Captiva and one Barina, both demos. The only thing they've got a ton of is Suzukis.

Only about 120 Hummers sold last month, and 200 total Chyslers which includes 300Cs, Nitros, Calibers and Sebrings. It was a slow, odd month. We did have a couple of peak-price petrol weeks which always cause a kneejerk in bigcar sales. Ford sold 11 Fairlanes so they must just be about down to single digits left on them. Ford also sold 3 F250s, so i don't think anyone would line up to buy F150s or any other big trucks. Medium size diesel? Yep.

Other interesting thing is Toyota Oz came closer to making hybrid Camry's here, which the Japanese making positive noises. But they're having to fight off Toyota Thailand who boast lower build prices, which is where the Hilux comes from.

Holden
Holden Astra 1,154
Holden Astra Convertible 104
Holden Barina 993
Holden Caprice 145
Holden Captiva 909
Holden Combo 82
Holden Commodore 3,324
Holden Epica 139
Holden Monaro 0
Holden Rodeo 4X2 502
Holden Rodeo 4X4 1,013
Holden Statesman 86
Holden Utility 4X2 1,269
Holden Viva 467
TOTAL 10,187

Ford
Ford Courier 4X4 5
Ford Escape 224
Ford F250 4X2 3
Ford Fairlane 11
Ford Falcon 1,884
Ford Falcon Ute 877
Ford Fiesta 640
Ford Focus 1,465
Ford Focus Coupe Cabriolet 35
Ford LTD 0
Ford Mondeo 329
Ford Ranger 4X2 800
Ford Ranger 4X4 720
Ford Territory 1,073
Ford Transit 145
Ford Transit Bus 12
Ford Transit C/C 23
TOTAL 8,246

[Patto1]

[quote=BBDOS CV8;1392249] Only about 120 Hummers sold last month [quote]


"only" ?

This is a bloody good month considering they "only" planned on selling 1000 a year (or 85 a month)

As I 've said before and I'll say it again, people want family size SUV's in this country.

[Patto1]

Originally Posted by BBDOS CV8

Ford also sold 3 F250s, so i don't think anyone would line up to buy F150s or any other big trucks. Medium size diesel? Yep.

The F150 is not that much bigger than a 4WD Hi-lux, so why wouldn't it sell ?

Tell me from the picture below, the Hi-lux and GMC Sierra 1500 (avatar) are almost the same size.....

The mines would love the F150, some mines are even resorting to importing the Dodge Rams to Australia

[Patto1]

Toyota HiLux tops the sales charts in April

Richard Blackburn, drive.com.au, May 5, 2008



The Toyota HiLux has unseated the Holden Commodore and Toyota Corolla as the top selling vehicle in the country. By RICHARD BLACKBURN.

Toyota HiLux

The Toyota HiLux utility was Australia’s top selling vehicle in April, toppling both the Toyota Corolla and the Holden Commodore.

It is the first time a utility vehicle has taken the mantle of Australia’s top seller.

Ute sales have grown strongly in the last couple of years, fuelled by the resource boom, a break in the drought in some rural areas and a trend towards utes being used as recreational, private vehicles.

Toyota’s divisional manager, national sales, Tony Cramb, says the 3814 HiLux sales were a result of improved supply of the vehicle from Thailand.

“The demand has always been there, it was really just a case of freeing up supply from the factory,” he says.

“The mining boom in Western Australia and Queensland has been a factor and we’ve also seen more demand from farmers in areas where the drought has broken,” he says.

There is also a growing demand from private buyers, particularly for diesel four-wheel-drive “double cab” models with five seats.

“A lot of people are customising their trucks like over in the US. The 4WD double cab diesel is really hot at the moment and a lot of that is lifestyle driven,” he says.

Sales of two-wheel-drive utes are up 15.9 per cent, while 4WD sales have grown by 5 per cent.

Overall, the vehicle market bounced back strongly from a slow April, showing no signs of being affected by the recent talk about interest rates hikes.

Sales of four-wheel-drives were up 16.3 per cent in the first four months of the year, while light, small and medium car sales were all stronger than the same month last year.

The only black spot continues to be the large car market.

In a month when the last of the locally built Mistubishi 380s was sold, the large car market was down 20 per cent on the same period last year.

The strong HiLux result continued Toyota’s dominance of the market this year. The Japanese brand outsold second-placed Holden by more than two-to-one, while the Corolla again outsold the Commodore to remain the country’s favourite car this year.

Corolla sales tallied 3722 units in April, while Holden managed only 3324 Commodore sales.

Year-to-date the Corolla has a lead of almost 1000 units over the Holden. Commodore sales continue to be affected by the lack of a wagon in the line up. Holden says the wagon accounts for about 1000 sales a month. A new wagon will go on sale in July.

Meanwhile, Holden sales are struggling, with the brand down 10 per cent in the first four months of the year. By contrast, Toyota sales are up 11 per cent and Ford sales are static, despite weak demand for the ageing BF Falcon. The new Falcon went on sale this month.

The last month of BF Falcon sales was a slow one for Ford, with the car attracting only 1884 buyers, just ahead of Toyota’s Aurion on 1861 sales.

The Toyota Kluger soft-roader also sold strongly, toppling perennial favourite the Ford Territory from the top spot.

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