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Holden has claimed Australia's top selling car for the ninth consecutive
year, with Commodore extending an unbroken annual record for the nameplate since
1996.
Figures released today show Holden also retained its position as the most
popular passenger car brand in 2004 and became the market leader in the light
truck segment, delivering four of Australia's top 10 selling vehicles in
Commodore, Astra, Rodeo and Ute.
The record was driven by the VZ Commodore range launched in August, offering
the new high feature V6 Alloytec engine built in Port Melbourne. The VZ
Commodore was the first Australian manufactured sedan to offer the safety
feature of Electronic Stability Program (ESP).
The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries sales results revealed Holden
achieved its second highest annual sales in 2004, selling a total of 178,027
units, slightly down on 2002 record sales of 178,392. Holden's market share for
2004 was 18.6 per cent, second to Toyota with 201,737 sales and 21.1 per cent
market share and Ford third with 135,172 and 14.2 per cent share.
Cementing its market leadership in light truck sales, Holden produced a
record annual sales result in 2004 as well as record sales in every month of the
year.
The light truck segment, including top-selling Rodeo, Crewman, One-Tonner and
Ute, has been a growth engine for Holden, increasing sales by 27 per cent on
last year to achieve total sales of 47,631.
Rodeo's record sales of 24,055, and the top-selling Ute range, saw Holden
sell 6183 more light truck vehicles than its nearest rival and win 29.1 per cent
market share in the segment.
Astra, Holden's second biggest selling nameplate, continued to perform well,
selling a total of 26,202 units. The new AH Astra was launched in Australia in
November and represents an exciting opportunity for Holden in 2005, which is
expected to be a strong year for all of Holden's four-cylinder range.
Holden Executive Director Sales and Marketing, Ross McKenzie, said the result
reflected the value and diverse range of vehicles offered by Holden in a very
competitive market.
"Last year was a very exciting year for Holden's locally manufactured
vehicles with the VZ and WL range substantially upgraded in the second half of
2004, and this year will be just as exciting for our four-cylinder vehicles," Mr
McKenzie said.
"Holden is the only car company to offer customers a complete range of
vehicles that meet their needs from rugged work applications, cross-over utility
vehicles through to urban lifestyle and recreational vehicles."
Mr McKenzie said competition was likely to remain at the same level of
intensity in 2005 with more consumer choice and tough pricing from importers as
a result of the tariff decreases and a strong Australian dollar.
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