Ominous Signs For Australia's Large Rear-Drive Sedans
As dismissive as I tend to be of the internet product-planning brigade, their constant cries of “Bring rear-drive, V8 full-size Aussie sedans to America” may have some credibility – the market for these cars in Australia seems to be going teats up, with SUVs and small cars taking their place.
The Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon are clearly suffering; while they once vied for either of the top two spots, the Commodore is the 5th best selling vehicle in 2012 so far, trailing the Mazda3 by about 6,000 units, while the Falcon doesn’t even merit a spot in the top 10.
Some observers have cited SUVs as a possibly culprit for the demise of the Australian family sedan, but a look at the sales table for both 2011 and 2012 shows that smaller, fuel-efficient cars are eating the lunch of the “Aussie Rules” cars. The Mazda3 bumped the Commodore off a 15-year winning streak in 2011, and the market hasn’t looked back since.
Nameplates like Corolla, Cruze, i30 and Yaris have crept up on the big sedans, and dominated the first half of 2012, along with the venerable Toyota Hilux pickup. The Falcon and its stablemate, the Ford Territory, are nowhere to be found in the Top 10, a bad sign for Ford’s Australian operations.
Australia’s auto industry has been having subsidies pumped into it for a number of years, but things only seem to be getting worse. A journal published by leading Australian industries astutely noted that the Australian market is “…too small for manufacturing; too prosperous to ignore.” The short-term future seems to hold a continued injection of government money into the auto industry – and quite possibly, the demise of the rear-drive Australian sedan.
More by Derek Kreindler
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There be reliable then there be durable..Volvo weren't that reliable but they were durable. Never been to oz guess her to be mostly unpaved outback? Would SUV & front drive be able to take the beating and still be rescueable out @ dingo garage?
I guess no one else has considered this - the Commmodore in it's most basic form, has been on the market since 2006, and was the best selling car in the country until this year. It's only had minor updates, but on the whole, you can buy a 2006 which is almost the same as the shiny, new 2012 model. Sure, slightly new headlights, front bumper and a new touchscreen inside, but to your neighbours, it looks exactly the same. I'd like to think that next year when the VF comes along, the Commodore will have a resurgence, but only providing they've got a bag of tricks which makes the car more relevant in today's market - better, more efficient engines and fresh styling.
"...what customer base is left to them is the rusted on conservatives resistant to change; the rest view the vehicle as a big heavy thirsty boat, regardless of what is under the hood, and associated with ‘bogans’*;" Change some words and same could be said about the old Crown Vics. Some 'enthusiasts' for some time have been going "bring Falcon here, it will push Japanese cars back". Umm, if it can't succeed in AUS anymore, then it's fading fast. One other trend noticed is most new 'traditional' German cars have AWD optional, and I see many "X" or 'AWD' tags on new BMW's, Infinitis, and Benzes in North Shore burbs of Chicago, i.e. very rich area
You know, I don't understand how 'Utes rose to popularity in Australia. That doesn't mean that I don't approve of them. In fact, the Aussies surprise me every time with a car that I wouldn't have heard of otherwise. Add in content from kiwi contributors and Bryce (certainly, you must have heard of him once at another popular site run by a Neidermeyer) and you have a hell of an entertaining site. Bring on that Aussie/Kiwi knowledge, folks! I love to read about what other people are driving halfway across the world from me. It makes me appreciate cars a lot more!