Minnows slug it out

HYUNDAI looks to be determined to put Toyota’s brand power to the acid test in the light car segment – the fastest growing class in the local market.

The light and small car classes have, of course, been the big beneficiaries of the flight to economy that has gripped the market since the petrol price surge last year.

Light car sales have been reassuringly steady despite the trials and tribulations of the market in general, but that does not mean there has been no action in this cut-throat segment.

The big lead that Toyota’s Yaris had enjoyed during 2008 may be about to slip through its fingers.

Hyundai’s Getz grabbed segment leadership for a month in February when the Yaris hit a 12-month low. The sustained success of the Getz in recent months may point to an increased cost awareness by buyers.

The Getz has always enjoyed a price advantage over the segment leader, and that advantage increased on January 1 when Toyota lifted the prices of all its ranges to recoup the extra cost caused by surging commodity prices. Not everyone has followed suit, and Toyota is leaning hard on its brand power as it tries to stay ahead.

The Yaris range rose by up to $800, and the entry level is now $15,690 while the 1.3-litre Getz three-door still starts at $13,990. It’s the sort of margin a cost-conscious buyer cannot afford to miss.

From top: Toyota Yaris, Mazda2, Honda Jazz.

The lower price also means lower depreciation and that has been a factor in the Getz winning the most economical car award title from the car clubs several times in recent years.

Against that, in October last year, the Yaris became the first car other than Toyota’s Prius hybrid to win a five-star rating from the Green Vehicle Guide using just unleaded petrol.

Both are in demand by fleet operators, with about 30 per cent of all cars going to business owners. This is a good performance by the Yaris, which cannot offer stability control anywhere in its range.

On the other hand, the Getz offers thorax airbags for side impacts, while the Yaris has curtains available at a price.

Another interesting aspect of this battle is that both models are holding their ages well. The Yaris first arrived in 2005 and is considered to be getting on now, but the Getz debuted in 2002 and had a facelift in 2005.

Compare that to the more recently arrived Mazda2, which has won awards around the world but appears to have lost some momentum since December.

Its sales graph describes a steady, gentle decline in the first three months of the year and, if it continues in that vein, it will soon disappear into the snarling pack of rivals selling between 750 and 900 units a month.

Ominously, Mazda has decided to follow the Toyota lead and try to recoup higher commodity prices. The Mazda2 has risen $400 virtually across the range, and the entry level model is now $16,390.

You can option up both curtain airbags and stability control in the Mazda2 but, with safety being a hard sell in this price-conscious sector, that may only be of interest to fleet operators – but they are not traditional Mazda customers.

Newer than all of these is the Honda Jazz, which arrived in September last year and has lifted Honda’s game in the light segment.

The little Honda hatch had a boomer of a January and slipped past the Getz to take second for a brief while before volumes halved again in February.

That rapid slide was probably caused by the arrival of the Jazz’s big sister, the City, which has the Jazz underpinnings but a sedan body crammed with almost everything that a down-sizing medium car driver could want: curtain airbags, cruise control, electric windows and mirrors and keyless entry, among other things.

The City starts at $20,000 but will be attracting some potential Jazz buyers up-market. If City volumes are added to Jazz sales, the two comprise a consistent third place-getter in this segment.

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