Holden Leads New Vehicle Market

Tuesday, May 14, 2002

Holden continues to set records as it leads the new vehicle sales race from Toyota, Ford, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Honda.

An analysis of recently released Land Transport Safety Authority figures shows Holden sold 1,196 vehicles in April for a 19.2 per cent share of the total market - up 444 units or 59 per cent on the same month last year.

Year to date, the company has sold 4,479 vehicles overall - up 1,147 units on the same four-month period last year, while its market share has risen from 15.6 to 17.9 per cent.

Holden also led - for the fourth month in a row - the new passenger car market in April, the 806 units sold accounting for 20 per cent of the market. The brand’s 3,246 sales for the four-month period are more than 18 per cent up on the volume achieved during the January to April period in 2001.

Long-time Kiwi favourite and New Zealand’s best-selling carline - the all-conquering Commodore, again conclusively outperformed all other models in April. Year to date, the carline commands 44.1 per cent of the large car segment compared to its nearest rival’s 25 per cent, amassed 1,985 sales - a dominant 863 units sales lead over the country’s second most popular car, and stretched its unbroken spell of marker leadership to 20 months.

And Holden Special Vehicles - arguably New Zealand’s best known and most popular performance car brand for over 12 years, maintains its stranglehold in that part of the market. Sales of the more ‘muscular’ versions of the Commodore number 140 for the January to April period - up 17.6 per cent on last year.

The much acclaimed and design award winning Holden Monaro coupe - on debut in New Zealand showrooms in April - notched up 67 sales to quickly take the lead in the country’s sports car market segment.

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The company’s four-cylinder passenger car market entries - the European designed and built Barina, Astra and Vectra, are also playing their part in Holden’s market leading performance, nowadays contributing more than a third of the brand’s total car volume. Year to date April, Vectra sales are up 23.6 per cent, the Astra’s up 24.9%, while volume of the smallest Holden of them all - the Barina, is up 150 per cent.

In April, Holden’s light commercial vehicle product offering - led by the two and four-wheel drive one-tonne Rodeo and including the Ute and Combo ‘around-town’ van, showed a volume improvement of 102 per cent over the same month in 2001. Year to date 2002, volume is up 474 units or 106 per cent when compared with the same period last year. Much of that sales success and growth can be attributed to the popularity of the Holden Ute - outselling its rival two to one - and the first full month of sales of the new 3.0 litre intercooled turbo-diesel Rodeo.

April also proved to be another successful month for Holden’s heavy commercial vehicle ‘arm’ - Isuzu trucks. Whereas in the first four months of last year the nameplate recorded 126 sales, this year that has risen to 223 units - up some 76 per cent. Market share stands at 26.7 per cent for the year, while the brand has now led the country’s truck market for nine months straight.

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