Australia Full Year 2012: Mazda3 leads again in record market, no local model on podium for the first time since 1930s!

Mazda3. Picture courtesy of caradvice.com.au

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Australia could well be the only mature car market in the world to actually break its all-time record in 2012: sales are up a fantastic 10% on 2011 to reach the unheard of level of 1,112,032 registrations, beating the 2007 record of 1,049,982 units. After putting an end to 15 consecutive years of Holden Commodore domination in 2011, the Mazda3 manages to keep its crown in 2012 thanks to sales up 7% to 44,128 units and 4% share, making Australia the only country in the world where the Mazda3 is #1. All-in-all, the Mazda3 led the monthly ranking 5 times and beat its monthly volume record twice in 2012: in September (4,276 units) and December (4,649).

Toyota Hilux

It wasn’t an easy win however, with another very serious contender pointing its robust bonnet in 2012: the Toyota Hilux managed the incredible feat of ranking #1 for 5 consecutive months – the only model to do so in the last 35 years with the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon, and a total of 6 times. It is up 13% on 2011 to #2 with 40,646 units and 3.7%, its very first time in the year-end Australian Top 2 in the 41 years the nameplate has been present in the country, and the 4WD variant’s best-ever year at 29,267 sales (+23%). You can check out Hilux Australian sales for each year since its introduction in the country in 1971 here.

Toyota Corolla

The Toyota Corolla is up one spot and 8% to #3, it ranked #1 in November thanks to the new model and is getting ready for a potentially winning year in 2013. However the big – albeit negative – news of 2012 is the 25% drop outisde the podium of the Holden Commodore at #4 with 30,532 sales and 2.7%. Holden’s legendary nameplate fell to a worrying #8 spot in June, did not top the monthly ranking at anytime for the first time since its original launch in 1978 and even lost its local model crown to the Toyota Camry over the last 3 months of the year. With the Commodore at #4, there is no locally produced model on the podium for the first time since before World War 2, and potentially even longer…

Mazda CX-5

The Holden Cruze passed the Commodore for the first time in a monthly ranking in January but remains #5 at year-end with 29,161 units, down 14% and threatened by a Hyundai i30 boosted by the new generation at #6 with 28,348 sales. The Toyota Camry is up a huge 42% to #7 and should be a contender for the #1 spot in 2013, the Nissan Navara is up 20% but down one spot, the Toyota Yaris up 16% to #9 and the Ford Focus up 9 ranks and 44% to an excellent 10th place.

The Nissan X-Trail had a record year in Australia

The Toyota Prado leads the SUV charge, up a fantastic 57% to deliver its best-ever year in the country at 17,045 sales and #15. It is followed by the Nissan X-Trail up 33% to a record #16 with 16,066 units – breaking into the Top 10 for the first time in March. However the most impressive model in the category is the all-new Mazda CX-5 launched in March and an instant hit, finishing the year at #17 with 15,861 sales and breaking into the monthly Top 10 for the first time in August.

Infiniti launched in Australia in October 2012.

Brand-wise, Toyota celebrates 10 consecutive years on top with sales up 20% to 218,176 units, and even though Holden is still #2 at 10.3% share, it got passed by Mazda for the first time in a monthly ranking this year, not once but 3 times (in April, September and December). The Japanese manufacturer lodges its best-ever year in the country and first time above 100,000 annual units at 103,886, up 18%. Hyundai is now above Ford at #4 and 91,536 sales (+5%) while Nissan and Volkswagen also break their all-time record at 79,747 and 54,835 units respectively. Notice also Jeep up 108% to #15, Great Wall up 27% to #17 and Land Rover up 36%. Two large brands launched in Oz in 2012: Opel lands at #36 with 541 sales and Infiniti is #41 with a timid 85 units sold.

Previous post: Australia December 2012: Mazda3 and Toyota Camry amaze again

Previous year: Australia Full Year 2011: Mazda3 breaks 15 years of Holden Commodore domination

Full Year 2012 Top 296 All-models, Top 50 All-brands and each Monthly Top 20 models Ranking Tables below.