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Racing for the sales post

Hyundai says the i30 is just one part of the sales spurt that could win them the full-line importer title

...another big Aussie race is heading into the final straight. The 2011 car sales field is being spurred on as the December finish line nears.

First and second places are a dead cert. You haven’t been able to get any money on the favourite, Toyota, for – well, the whole year really. And Holden streaked away early to hold second place from the start.

Ford would have to lose their jockey to miss out on third now. But it could still be a close finish – with Mazda and dark horse Hyundai thundering on Ford’s flanks, both in the running to take the title of top full-line importer.

Mazda looked like a smart bet for third out of the barriers, getting a full head of 787 sales in front of Ford for January, continuing the pace through February, but slipping to a nose lead of 170 for March and finishing April with just the nostril hair out in front with a margin of 51.

Ford put a spurt on and regained third in May with a lead of 838 over Mazda, widened it to 1428 in June, 2213 in July – and now sits a fairly confident 3462 ahead of the Japanese brand.

That’s a big gap for Mazda to cross over the next two months, spokesman Steve Maciver admits. “We’ve had a few strong months, but at the end of the year I don’t think we’ll overtake Ford and slip into third,” he says.

However he adds that the brand’s position in the top 10 – and whether or not their little star car, the Mazda3, will bridge the gap of 371 sales to the Holden Commodore and win Australia’s top model – are not the main goals.

“Sales are ticking along exactly where we want them to be, and we know what we want to achieve,” he says.

“The Mazda3 will certainly nail the position as Australia’s top small car, but whether or not it’s number one overall is of no consequence,” spokesman Steve Maciver says.

Maciver says Mazda still expects to sell a record 87,000 cars this year (up from 84,777 in 2010) – and hopefully hold the crown as top full-line importer.

But that title could pass to Hyundai -- whose goal is also 87,000 -- and could be the surprise finisher in the field. They had a burst mid-year with the Getz run-out, but have had a lift in the light and small car segments, where they’re well represented. They currently sit just 318 sales behind Mazda – and look set to make a strong dash at the finish. 

The Korean brand says their strength doesn’t rest with any single car but the overall mix of product.

“What we’re seeing is an improved and consistent performance across a range of segments,” spokesman Ben Hershman says.

“We’re seen i20 and Accent perform well, and together put Hyundai first in the light car segment with 17.3 per cent, while i30 and Elantra combined put us second in the small car segment with 14.8 per cent.

“We’ve got a strong mix at that end of the market but of course the iLoad van continues to perform very well and that was first in the segment with iMax second.”

Hershman says it’s too early to gauge any extra sales from the recently-launched i40 Tourer, but says interest looks to grow.

“It’s early days, but the cars are now in the dealerships and there has been a huge amount of interest – there have been 175,000 hits on the Youtube ad (showing the car being used to ‘sketch’ a massive drawing on Lake Rebecca in Western Australia).

Hershman says they don’t anticipate any problems meeting the year’s sales target, although he stops short of guarantees.

“Our current forecast is still towards 87,000 based on current running rate, depending continuing supply. We’re in a good position now, but there are two months to go…”