Commodore thrashes Falcon in October sales

[HSVLVR]

Well to me it's not because it's payback for winning Bathurst last month.

[Blue Supra]

The ACT government loves the good ol' Corolla for it's fleet.

dude our area in my department has 3! im driving the minivan/wagon around lately full time and its a good little car, id buy a hatch if i was buying a small car.

[Monty_Burns]

Well to me it's not because it's payback for winning Bathurst last month.

Somebody, please ban him.

[monaroCountry]

dont forget though that those sales include fleet buyers. If fleet sales were not included the corolla would be number 1.

If profit earned were included, Holden would win once again.

[motorsportnerd]

Well to me it's not because it's payback for winning Bathurst last month.

The Bathurst result wouldn't have made any difference to the sales figures for October.
Also, keep in mind, the Corolla wipes the Commodore every month in terms of sales to private buyers. Only about 20% of Commodore sales are to private buyers.

[motorsportnerd]

If profit earned were included, Holden would win once again.

Such figures would be very hard to get. Manufacturers would keep the profit margins a closely guarded secret. And while the Corolla might make less profit then the Commodore, it will likely make more profit than the Astra or a Barina. Toyota is after all the world's most profitable manufacturer.
Also, I'm sure BMW or Mercedes make much more profit per car than Holden does - so perhaps it's BMW or Mercedes that are the real winners of the sales race?

[caz_375]

With its historically poor resale, Commodore isn't that appealing to most private buyers either - unless we're talking HSV, SS or Calais versions which have slightly better resale.
As to the most popular car once fleet sales are taken out? This article from a few months ago may help: http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/Ar...ID=19729&vf=13.

Top selling cars amongst private sellers are Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and Toyota Yaris.
Its worth noting that in the early months of both the VE and the Camry, there will probably be a few more sales to private buyers - especially of the luxury and sports versions of the VE. But I'd be surprised if either challenged the Corolla for the number 1 spot amongst private buyers.

Makes interesting reading, doesn't it? I think in the past where Holden has been lucky with the Commodore ( and Ford as well) is that there is a huge 2nd-hand market for their cars. If there wasn't they wouldn't be able to sell so many new ones. Lots of private buyers would rather wait 12-18 mths for them to come onto the 2nd-hand market, letting someone else cop the depreciation. But, as you said, those that are after the SS-V, Calais-V etc are more likely to be the ones stumping up full value in the new car market.

[motorsportnerd]

Quite true - most private buyers of Falcons/Commodores buy second hand. From the large numbers sitting on car yards at the moment, I suspect that the second-hand market has also taken a hit.

[crisis]

The Bathurst result wouldn't have made any difference to the sales figures for October.
Also, keep in mind, the Corolla wipes the Commodore every month in terms of sales to private buyers. Only about 20% of Commodore sales are to private buyers.

Dont assume all Carollas go to the private market either.

[motorsportnerd]

According to that Drive article - about 60% of Corollas are bought by the private market and 40% by fleets. That's still a hell of of lot of fleet sales. The 60% of Corollas going to the private market are still significantly more than the number of sales of the next best seller to private buyers - the Mazda3 and way ahead of Commodore.
What would be more interesting than the straight forward sales figures for the new VE and the new Camry is whether the number of sales to private buyers have picked up over the old model. Are more than 20% of the VE's sales now private?

[fpv_gtho]

Its a bit of a worry for Ford. Thats AU territory almost being outsold 2:1 by Holden, but i dont think the knowledge its a 4 year old car compared to a new car really matters, except that Ford can afford to knock off more from the price.

Will be interesting next month. If VE stays at that level it will be good for Holden, but Falcon really needs to pick up.

[adrenaline]

Ford said they were going to do something to prevent it from happening again. I wonder if they were implying a price drop?

EDIT:

The Falcon isn't too much inferior to the Commodore on inspection. To be honest, at the motorshow the Ghia looked better than the Calais V up close with it's sports attitude. From behind it looked like an XR without the spoiler. And the darkened headlamps and chrome looked on the money. Even the interior felt better with lighter highlights opposed to Commodore's grays. But the rear seating in the Calais felt alot better.

[STREETFIRE]

Then get a load of this. Wheels comparo - VE Omega vs Falcon XT

Where the Falcon can’t compete with the VE is in looks. The Commodore is truly new; in its styling, its dramatically changed proportions and beautifully crafted surfaces. The impact of the VE’s visuals is even more dramatic when placed next to the now suddenly dated Falcon, which looks conservative, if tidy, and a tad boring. No doubt, this perception has much to do with sheer familiarity. The Ford is more a traditional three-box shape with a longer boot, notably lower waistline, deeper side windows and more vertical windscreen.

Looks almost sell cars.

Holden’s decision to adopt a symmetrical dashboard for the Omega simplifies right/lefthand-drive conversion by placing the power windows’ switches and mirrors’ controls between its seats. In contrast, the Falcon’s central console is biased towards the driver and seems more bulky. Ford’s BA redesign cleaned up the Falcon’s dashboard, but by the standards of the more harmonious, better-crafted and ergonomic Omega, it is now a messy, less wellintegrated combination of colours, materials and finishes. Understandably, the VE feels far more modern, at least in the cabin.

[adrenaline]

Then get a load of this. Wheels comparo - VE Omega vs Falcon XT. Looks almost sell cars.

That's irrelevant. I was talking about Calais and Fairmont Ghia.

Are you trying to prove me wrong by quoting a car magazine referring to 2 completely different models?? Pfft.

[2ndclasscitizen]

The Falcon isn't too much inferior to the Commodore on inspection. To be honest, at the motorshow the Ghia looked better than the Calais V up close with it's sports attitude. From behind it looked like an XR without the spoiler. And the darkened headlamps and chrome looked on the money. Even the interior felt better with lighter highlights opposed to Commodore's grays. But the rear seating in the Calais felt alot better.

Yeah, but Calais seats > Ghia seats