Corolla takes Aussie crown

Toyota’s Corolla has beaten the Mazda 3 to become Australia’s best-selling car of 2015 by 3,429 units in a year that saw industry records tumble. Australians bought 1,155,408 new cars, SUVs and commercials in 2015 – 1.7 per cent more than in the previous record year of 2013 when there were 1,136,227 registrations. The total for 2015 was up by 3.8 per cent compared to 2014. The Corolla notched up 42,073 sales while 38,644 Mazda 3s were registered. Third spot went to Toyota’s Hilux on 35,161. It was followed by Hyundai’s i30 on 32,306 and Ford’s Ranger on 29,185. Toyota was the top-selling brand with a market share of 17.8 per cent. It was followed by Mazda with 9.9 per cent, Holden on 8.9 per cent, Hyundai with 8.8 per cent and Mitsubishi on 6.2 per cent. The addition of new models with significant performance and comfort, combined with the existing vehicle mix, continues to make Australia one of the world’s most competitive markets, according to Tony Weber, chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries. “The high level of choice is delivering Australian consumers access to high-quality vehicles at record affordability levels. In addition, the market’s competitiveness has seen buyers access an extensive range of finance options and genuine service offers that maintain the value and integrity of their vehicles.” SUVs in particular continued to boom in 2015 with the sector accounting for 35.4 per cent of the market – up from 31.7 per cent in 2014. “Despite the significant rise in SUV sales over the past few years, passenger cars still hold some popularity,” says Weber. “The segment is still the largest selling with 44.6 per cent of the total market in 2015.” Light commercials took out 17.2 per cent of the Australian market last year, which was roughly the same as in 2014 when their sales amounted to 17.8 per cent. Private registrations increased by 3.7 per cent and business sales went up by 4.9 per cent, but government purchases declined by 1.4 per cent. Sales of new vehicles across the ditch during December totalled 99,616, which was up by almost three per cent compared to the same month in 2014.