Holden Commodore Has Been Overthrown
Holden Commodore Has Been Overthrown – Holden has conceded the Commodore may never again lead the Australian new-car sales race after being dethroned by the Mazda3 small car in 2011.
“It’s hard to see it happening,” the sales and marketing director of Holden, John Elsworth, told Drive. “It’s difficult to know what will be the number one selling car going forward. The number one car will probably change every year.
“Whether there’s ever going to be a car do 15 years in a row as number one ever again I think is unlikely given the way … the segments have changed. The market’s really quite fragmented now.”
But rather than licking its wounds, the Lion brand this week celebrated the Commodore’s previous 15 years at the top, a record not matched by any other vehicle in Australian automotive history.
“I think it’s an outstanding achievement, 15 years,” he said. “But we moved on some time ago to be perfectly honest … this hasn’t really come as a surprise. You can watch a trend happen over many years.”
The swing to smaller cars and SUVs has been dramatic over the past decade as Australians have embraced vehicles with more functionality. Indeed, crew-cab utes such as the Toyota Hilux are the third-biggest category – and the Hilux was third outright last year nationally and led the market in Queensland, West Australia and the Northern Territory.
Our changing taste in cars is one reason Holden didn’t suddenly register 812 Commodores – the gap between it and the Mazda3 in December – after figures were exchanged at midnight on December 31.
In previous years, to artificially boost sales figures and eclipse rivals, some car makers have been suspected of registering cars in the three-day gap between the time the data is exchanged and then announced publicly.
Although Elsworth says registering cars was never a consideration Holden “didn’t give up without a fight”.
“We don’t play games like that. Our number one objective is profitability.”
Tags: car sales, Holden Commodore
Posted in Cars
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