Internet clicks for Falcon

THE Ford Falcon might not be the top-selling car in Australia, but it is a winner in the virtual world of the internet.

DataMotive Research internet ‘share-of-views’ information reveals the Falcon is by far the most looked-at car, by quite a margin from the Mazda3 and Holden Commodore which both out-perform the Falcon in actual sales.

The data was collected from Carsales Network automotive web sites from January to the end of June, which means it has not been skewed by Ford’s new engine plans announced on Friday.

Toyota’s Corolla also usually beats the Falcon in sales, but it is only the seventh most looked-at vehicle, behind the Mitsubishi Lancer, Volkswagen Golf and Subaru Impreza.

Left: Mazda3.

This share-of-view information is a useful tool for measuring consumer interest, but other DataMotive numbers more accurately indicate the consumer intent to buy.

‘Share of leads’ indicates how many people clicked-through to contact a dealer and request more information.

As these numbers do not include many large fleets and government leads, as these fleet managers tend to contact the car-makers directly, it is a good guide to what private consumers want to buy or are at least considering.

Not surprisingly, Mazda3 leads this race, as it has always been a strong in private sales, but it is not far ahead of the Falcon – a good result considering sales of the big Ford traditionally have been heavily skewed towards fleets.

The DataMotive information ties in with the FG Falcon’s model mix which indicates increasing numbers of private sales with more emphasis on premium G-Series and XR sales and fewer sales of the XT fleet special.

Toyota’s HiLux and Holden’s Commodore are a fair way back in third and fourth when it comes to the share of leads so far this year.

As of June, the Corolla is way back in sixth, ever so slightly ahead of the Mitsubishi Lancer, Subaru Impreza and Suzuki Swift.

This indicates that the Corolla might be a big seller when it comes to fleets, but is not so great at generating private leads for dealers.

While fleet sales are a useful way to pump volumes, fleet rates mean minimal profit compared with the increased margin of private sales.