Toyota, Chinese cars the big winners as annual sales announced

It was the year that Holden died and new-car sales plummeted but some brands defied the odds. These are the winners and losers, with some surprises.

Last year was one the car industry would prefer to forget. We said goodbye to Holden and sales across the board were down by 14 per cent. In Victoria, the new-car market was down by close to 25 per cent as dealerships were forced to shut their doors during lockdown.

Some brands and nameplates weathered the storm better than others, though.

Here’s a list of what was hot — and what was not — in 2020.

Toyota’s RAV4 Hybrid proved a huge hit. Picture: Thomas Wielecki.

HOT

Toyota

The Japanese brand’s dominance of the new-car market is mind-boggling. It has been our number one brand for the past 18 years and has the best-selling ute, car and SUV. HiLux was the best-selling vehicle in the country for the fifth year in a row, while overall sales dipped by just 0.5 per cent despite the pandemic. More than one in five new-car buyers choose a Toyota and it owns five of the top ten selling cars. The RAV4 was the number one SUV and the Corolla was the best-selling car. Sales of Toyota hybrids surged — they accounted for 54,335 of Toyota’s 204,801 total sales.

The RAM 1500 pick-up sold like hot cakes. Picture: Supplied.

Pick-up trucks

They’re oversized, overpriced and over here. Pick-up trucks are as American as apple pie but it seems that Aussies have developed quite a taste for them, despite the exorbitant price tags, huge fuel bills and lack of safety gear. Converted from left-hand drive in Melbourne, V8-powered RAM trucks are flying out the door. Sales were up by more than 15 per cent last year, despite a starting price of roughly $80,000 plus on-roads. In contrast, sales of smaller Japanese one-tonne utes were down by more than 10 per cent.

Sales of Chinese cars were up by more than 70 per cent last year. Picture: Supplied.

Chinese cars

It seems Aussie car buyers have very little interest in the current trade war between China and Australia. Sales of Chinese-made cars rose by more than 70 per cent last year. In the process China overtook England as our sixth biggest source of new cars behind Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Germany and the United States. Ironically, the once-British brand MG is leading the charge. Sales were up by more than 80 per cent to 15,253. The smaller Haval brand saw sales grow by 93 per cent, while Great Wall was up 38 per cent and LDV jumped 44 per cent.

The Holden Acadia had a shot life as GM axed the brand. Picture: Thomas Wielecki.

LOSERS

Holden

Sadly, only 28 Australians bought a Holden in December. Of those, 27 were Colorado utes and the other was a lone Commodore. Ultimately the brand, which was axed by American giant General Motors early this year, couldn’t cope with the flood of high-quality imported SUVs. The brand ended 2020 with almost 17,000 sales and rivals will be eyeing those customers in coming years. Long-time arch rival Ford is still kicking, largely on the back of the success of the Australian-designed Ranger ute.

The ASX still rules in the small SUV market, but other models are unloved. Picture: Supplied.

Mitsubishi

Another brand that’s a shadow of its former self. A little more than a decade ago it was manufacturing cars in Adelaide. This year sales dipped by almost a third as buyers shunned a product range that is growing long in the tooth. The ASX is still king of the city-focused SUVs, despite a big dip in sales, while the old-stager Pajero still has a loyal if dwindling following. But the arrival of newer utes put a big dent in sales of its popular Triton ute. The brand is now part of an alliance with Nissan and Renault, although both of those brands are struggling too, down 24 per cent and 20 per cent respectively.

Honda’s updated Civic Type-R will be the highlight for the brand this year. Picture: Supplied.

Honda

Honda announced in March that it would effectively cut its dealers out of the car buying process and allow customers to buy straight from the manufacturer with a single national “no haggle” price for all its cars. It also announced large cuts to its dealer network. Senior dealers claimed it would be the beginning of the end of the brand in Australia and judging by the sales numbers, they could be right. Sales dipped by a third as buyers shied away from its ageing line-up. Things are unlikely to improve this year as the popular Jazz is earmarked for extinction.

Originally published as Toyota, Chinese cars the big winners as annual sales announced