Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six petite SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures demonstrate we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Trio.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a puny slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two thickest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low kicking off point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last total year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by harshly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of puny SUVs, puny car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by toughly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, however: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the picture of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six petite SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures showcase we bought fewer electrical cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Three.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two largest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low kicking off point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by toughly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of petite SUVs, petite car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by harshly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, however: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the photo of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will remain, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six petite SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures display we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Trio.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two largest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low commencing point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last total year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by toughly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of petite SUVs, puny car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by toughly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, tho’: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the photo of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will remain, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six puny SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures showcase we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Trio.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a puny slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two thickest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low kicking off point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last total year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by toughly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of puny SUVs, puny car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by toughly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, tho’: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the pic of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six petite SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures display we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Three.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a puny slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two thickest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low beginning point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by harshly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of puny SUVs, puny car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by toughly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, tho’: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the photo of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six petite SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures display we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Three.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a puny slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two largest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low embarking point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last total year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by toughly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of petite SUVs, puny car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by harshly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are thriving at the high end of town, however: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the picture of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six petite SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures demonstrate we bought fewer electrical cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Trio.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a puny slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two fattest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low commencing point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by toughly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of petite SUVs, puny car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by harshly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are thriving at the high end of town, tho’: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the picture of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will remain, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six puny SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures demonstrate we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Three.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a puny slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two largest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low embarking point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by harshly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of puny SUVs, puny car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by toughly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are thriving at the high end of town, however: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the pic of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will remain, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six petite SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures demonstrate we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Three.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two fattest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low embarking point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by harshly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of puny SUVs, petite car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by toughly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are thriving at the high end of town, tho’: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the photo of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six puny SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures showcase we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Trio.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two thickest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low kicking off point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by harshly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of puny SUVs, petite car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by harshly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, tho’: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the photo of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will remain, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six petite SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures display we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Three.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two fattest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low embarking point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by harshly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of petite SUVs, petite car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by toughly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, however: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the photo of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six puny SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures showcase we bought fewer electrical cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Trio.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a puny slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two largest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low embarking point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last total year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by toughly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of puny SUVs, puny car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by harshly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are thriving at the high end of town, tho’: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the photo of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will remain, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six petite SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures display we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Three.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two largest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low commencing point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by toughly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of puny SUVs, petite car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by toughly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are thriving at the high end of town, tho’: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the pic of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six puny SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures showcase we bought fewer electrical cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Trio.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a puny slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two thickest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low kicking off point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by toughly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of petite SUVs, petite car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by toughly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, tho’: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the photo of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will remain, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six puny SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures showcase we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Three.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a puny slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two thickest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low kicking off point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by harshly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of petite SUVs, petite car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by toughly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, tho’: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the picture of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six puny SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures showcase we bought fewer electrical cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Trio.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two thickest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low commencing point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last total year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by toughly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of puny SUVs, petite car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by harshly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, however: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the pic of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six petite SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures demonstrate we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Three.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a puny slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two thickest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low beginning point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last total year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by harshly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of puny SUVs, puny car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by toughly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, however: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the photo of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six puny SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures demonstrate we bought fewer electrical cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Three.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two thickest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low embarking point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by toughly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of puny SUVs, puny car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by harshly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are thriving at the high end of town, tho’: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the pic of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six puny SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures showcase we bought fewer electrical cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Three.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a puny slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two largest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low commencing point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by harshly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of puny SUVs, petite car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by harshly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, however: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the photo of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will remain, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six puny SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures showcase we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Trio.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two thickest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low kicking off point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last total year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by toughly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of petite SUVs, petite car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by harshly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are thriving at the high end of town, tho’: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the pic of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six puny SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures demonstrate we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Trio.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two fattest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low beginning point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last total year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by harshly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of puny SUVs, petite car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by toughly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are thriving at the high end of town, however: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the picture of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six puny SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures showcase we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Trio.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two thickest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low embarking point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by harshly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of petite SUVs, petite car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by toughly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are thriving at the high end of town, however: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the photo of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six petite SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures showcase we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Trio.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two fattest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low beginning point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by toughly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of puny SUVs, puny car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by toughly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, however: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the pic of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six puny SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures demonstrate we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Three.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two fattest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low beginning point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by toughly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of petite SUVs, petite car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by harshly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are thriving at the high end of town, however: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the photo of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will remain, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six puny SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures showcase we bought fewer electrical cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Trio.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two largest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low commencing point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by toughly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of petite SUVs, puny car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by toughly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, tho’: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the picture of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six puny SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures showcase we bought fewer electrical cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Trio.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two fattest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low embarking point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last total year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by harshly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of puny SUVs, petite car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by harshly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are thriving at the high end of town, tho’: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the picture of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will remain, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six petite SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures showcase we bought fewer electrical cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Trio.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two fattest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low beginning point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by harshly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of petite SUVs, puny car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by toughly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, tho’: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the photo of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six puny SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures demonstrate we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Three.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a puny slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two thickest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low beginning point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by harshly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of puny SUVs, puny car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by toughly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, tho’: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the photo of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six petite SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures showcase we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Three.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two largest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low commencing point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by harshly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of petite SUVs, petite car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by harshly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, tho’: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the photo of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will remain, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six petite SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures showcase we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Trio.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two largest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low beginning point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last total year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by toughly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of petite SUVs, puny car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by harshly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are thriving at the high end of town, tho’: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the picture of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six petite SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures display we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Three.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two thickest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low embarking point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by toughly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of puny SUVs, petite car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by toughly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are thriving at the high end of town, however: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the picture of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six petite SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures showcase we bought fewer electrical cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Trio.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two thickest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low kicking off point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by toughly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of petite SUVs, petite car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by harshly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, however: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the picture of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six puny SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures showcase we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Three.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two thickest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low beginning point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last total year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by toughly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of puny SUVs, petite car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by harshly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, however: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the pic of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will remain, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six puny SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures showcase we bought fewer electrical cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Three.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a puny slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two fattest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low beginning point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last total year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by toughly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of petite SUVs, puny car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by harshly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, tho’: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the picture of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six petite SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures showcase we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Three.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a puny slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two thickest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low embarking point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by harshly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of petite SUVs, petite car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by toughly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, tho’: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the photo of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will remain, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six petite SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures demonstrate we bought fewer electrical cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Three.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a puny slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two largest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low beginning point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by harshly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of puny SUVs, petite car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by harshly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are thriving at the high end of town, however: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the pic of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will remain, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six petite SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures display we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Three.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two fattest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low embarking point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last total year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by toughly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of petite SUVs, puny car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by harshly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are thriving at the high end of town, however: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the picture of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will remain, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six puny SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures demonstrate we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Three.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two largest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low commencing point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last total year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by toughly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of petite SUVs, puny car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by toughly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, however: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the pic of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will remain, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six petite SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures display we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Trio.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a puny slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two fattest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low embarking point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last utter year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by toughly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of petite SUVs, puny car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by harshly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are flourishing at the high end of town, however: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the photo of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will stay, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

Australia – s top-selling fresh cars of two thousand fifteen – Car News, CarsGuide

Australia’s top-selling fresh cars of 2015

The car industry’s annual sales figures were released this week and it’s now official: in two thousand fifteen Australians bought more fresh cars than ever before, despite the end of the resources boom that had fuelled strong growth in work utes — and Ferraris for mining magnates.

The arrival of more than six petite SUVs has fed the country’s thirst for faux-wheel drives, denting sales of conventional hatchbacks and sedans in the process.

Sales of locally built vehicles proceed to slide as the industry prepares for the exit of Ford this year and Holden and Toyota next year.

Last year, sales of German-built vehicles almost eclipsed those of local cars and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class was the second-best selling medium-sized sedan behind the Camry.

Sales of Chinese cars slowed to a trickle, while official figures demonstrate we bought fewer electrified cars than in 2014.

Overall, Australians bought 1,155,408 fresh cars in 2015, an increase of Three.8 per cent over the previous year. Based on this week’s figures from statistician Vfacts, here is the tale of the tallies for 2015.

Toyota Corolla

The battle for the title of Australia’s best-selling car was a taut one in two thousand fourteen but the Corolla cruised to victory over the Mazda3 last year, despite a petite slide in sales.

It was the Toyota’s third consecutive year at No.1, ironically helped by the arrival of a fresh Mazda — sales of the Mazda3 fell by more than ten per cent as the pint-sized CX-3 lured buyers away.

In third spot was Hyundai’s i30 — but the story could have been very different. Corolla and Mazda3 sales include sedans as well as hatches but Hyundai splits its small-car sales inbetween the i30 hatch and Elantra sedan.

If Hyundai adopted the same name for the variants, it would have fallen just one thousand four hundred twenty one sales brief of the Corolla.

It rained all-new models in two thousand fifteen and buyers snapped them up. The two fattest successes were the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V baby SUVs, but Mercedes-Benz’s GLC was also well received when it landed towards year’s end.

It wasn’t just compact SUVs driving the growth, either. Midsize and large SUVs also sold strongly and the big boppers — Nissan’s Patrol and Toyota’s LandCruiser — also recorded sales increases.

Overall, SUV sales were up by about sixteen per cent, dragging the rest of the market to a record.

Mazda’s CX-5 eclipsed them all, establishing itself among the top-selling nameplates.

Luxury brands

Buyers’ tastes grew more expensive in two thousand fifteen and luxury brands tempted them with more affordable and better tooled models.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz recorded double-digit growth and Audi sales grew by just over twenty per cent.

Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups

Lexus sales were up by more than a quarter as it expanded its range, while Land Rover grew solidly. Even newcomer Infiniti — the luxury arm of Nissan — recorded a rise, albeit from a low kicking off point.

The top end of town was even healthier, despite a acute dip in sales in Western Australia. Ferrari and Porsche sales were up by about fifty per cent each, Lamborghini sales more than tripled and Maserati sales grew by a third.

Locals

Alone among what used to be the big three, Toyota maintained its position in a market increasingly predominated by imported line-ups.

In its last total year of local manufacturing, Ford continued to slide.

The worrying thing for the Blue Oval was that its locally manufactured cars lost less ground than its imports and, on the current sales trajectory, it will slip to eighth place on the sales charts next year from top of the pile two decades ago.

Sales of locally built Holdens dropped by harshly twelve per cent. Stronger import sales helped stem the bleeding a little but couldn’t stop the brand being run close by Hyundai in the battle for third spot.

Even if they are on the slide, the hatchback and sedan still account for the lion’s share of the new-car market — but it’s only a matter of time before we become a nation of SUV drivers.

The tipping point is likely to be when local manufacturing ceases at the end of two thousand seventeen and the Commodore and Camry become imports.

Dented by the arrival of puny SUVs, petite car sales declined by eight per cent in 2015. Micro cars have tanked — they were tipped as the next big thing as people sought low-emission transport but sales are down by toughly a third.

After a boom of sorts following the launch of the Toyota eighty six and Hyundai Veloster, affordable sports cars have softened.

Large sedans are down by almost eight per cent, as are big luxury limousines. Things are thriving at the high end of town, however: sports cars above $200,000 are up by seventeen per cent.

Volkswagen

If it looked purely at local figures, the German brand would consider two thousand fifteen a good year, as sales were up about ten per cent.

But the pic of VW took a dreadful battering last year, courtesy of the revelation that its engineers had installed “cheat devices” on some cars to get better emissions results. News of the breaches was compounded by an initial response that was both bumbling and arrogant.

Sales plateaued in the final quarter of the year and dealers reported a noticeable drop-off in showroom traffic, albeit it wasn’t the disaster it could have been.

It remains to be seen whether the harm to its reputation will remain, albeit the brand has proved remarkably resilient to bad publicity in the past.

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