Mazda sells 9000 units two months in a row

AUSTRALIA’S new-vehicle market was again down overall in February over the same month in 2013, but leading importer Mazda bucked the trend with a record result.

The company sold 9171 new vehicles last month for 10.6 per cent market share -- its best February here -- and was number one in both the light and small passenger segments, and in medium SUVs.

February also marks the first time Mazda has sold more than 9000 cars in successive months, after it shifted 9411 units in January.

The result means the company has sold 18,582 vehicles for the year, giving it an annual market share of 11.0 per cent and making it Australia’s second top-selling brand so far this year behind dominant Toyota.

Mazda’s monthly growth was up 5.6 per cent (over February 2013) against an overall market drop of 3.7 per cent.

Fellow top-ten brands Toyota (up 1.1 per cent), Holden (up 13.2 per cent), Hyundai (up 4.0 per cent) and Volkswagen (up 4.2 per cent) all bucked the trend too, with Nissan (down 45.7 per cent), Honda (down 31.1 per cent) and Mitsubishi (down 22.1 per cent) the big losers.

The company’s strong performance was led by its Mazda3 staple, which was the most popular car overall with 3969 sales ahead of the Toyota HiLux (3348) and Toyota Corolla (3332).

The majority of these sales were of the new-generation model launched on February 1, though somewhere close to 1000 were of the runout old model as well. Overall, the Mazda3 is up 26.9 per cent YTD, with sharp sub-$20k drive-away runout deals on the old model doing well to clear stock.

The Mazda2 was again the top-selling light-car with 1242 sales (beating out the Hyundai i20 in second), despite being among the oldest cars in its class, while the CX-5 was the top-selling SUV of any stripe with 1752 sales, ahead of Hyundai’s ix35.

In addition, the Mazda6 had its best sales month since August 2013 with 616 sales, making it the best-selling importer mid-sizer, albeit miles behind Toyota’s Australian-made (for now) Camry with 1891 sales.

The BT-50 ute chipped in with 1248 February sales, one of its best months since launch and 21 units ahead of the Mitsubishi Triton.

Mazda Australia managing director Martin Benders said: “Our great February result marks the first time in Mazda’s history that we have sold in excess of 9,000 cars, SUVs and utilities in successive months, it’s a really fantastic effort and I’m proud of our dealer network.

“...Our Mazda new car showroom is one of the best in the market and is driving these great sales figures. With the February introduction of All-New Mazda3 … I am expecting even more interest in what Mazda has to offer.”