Articles by Richard Blackburn

Richard Blackburn

Motoring Editor

Richard Blackburn is a former CarsGuide contributor who has decades of experience in the motoring journalism industry. He now works as Motoring Editor for News Corp Australia, where he uses his automotive expertise to specialise in industry news.

Mitsubishi's game boosts private Triton sales

By Richard Blackburn · 05 Jun 2015

The Mitsubishi Triton ranked third on the list, ahead of some of Australia's most popular passenger cars.Workhorse utes are increasingly bought as family vehicles but they are predominantly bought by tradies, farmers and fleets.According to the sales figures, 85 per cent of Tritons sold in the first three months of the year went to private customers. That compares with just 33 per cent for the Toyota HiLux.The Triton even attracted a higher percentage of private buyers than the Mazda3.Senior industry figures say the figures are rubbery.They claim Mitsubishi pumped huge volumes of Tritons into dealerships in the first three months of the year, then offered generous incentives to dealers to meet lofty sales targets.Critics argue that a large percentage of those Tritons were registered without buyers, inflating sales results.FCAI figures are based on registrations rather than sales transactionsThey say the maker was exploiting a loophole in the way the FCAI — the industry's sales monitor — keeps score.The FCAI figures are based on registrations rather than sales transactions. That allows dealers to reach their sales targets — and collect bonuses worth hundreds of thousands of dollars — without finding a customer.They then use those bonuses to fund big discounts to clear their overstocked yards, making it tough for Mitsubishi dealers who refuse to play the game. Without the bonus money, they can't match the discounts.Mitsubishi says the spike in private sales is solely due to Triton being several thousand dollars cheaper than rivals.Marketing boss Tony Principe says the ute's four-star rating made it tough to sell to fleets, so it chased retail buyers with sharp deals.He admits the local arm ordered a "bucketload" of Tritons for the first quarter of this year and dealers may be getting "antsy" about stock. He maintains the figures are not rubbery.

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Hyundai Creta small SUV could come to Australia

By Richard Blackburn · 05 Jun 2015

The oddly named Creta, a rival for the new Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V, is made in India and was initially thought to be for that market only.But using a name rather than the alphanumeric ix25 indicates a global car that could come to Australia.The news appears to have caught the local Hyundai operation by surprise. Chief operating officer John Elsworth had previously dismissed the car because it would achieve only a four-star crash safety rating and would be aimed at low-cost Asian markets.Hyundai Australia had planned to wait for a European-built mini-SUV based on its Intrado concept from last year's Geneva motor show but that car is believed to be at least two years away.Head office may pressure Australia to plug the hole in its line-up with the Creta, given the early sales success of the CX-3 and HR-V and the fact that it could bring the Creta in at a much sharper price than the European SUV.It's too early for us to comment about whether it will come hereHyundai Australia spokesman Bill Thomas is noncommittal about the Creta. "It's too early for us to comment about whether it will come here," he says.Hyundai's ix35 will be replaced by a larger model (renamed the Tucson) later this year, which will leave the company without a contender in the compact SUV class.Earlier this year, Elsworth told CarsGuide the company didn't expect to have a replacement mini-SUV in the near future. "We won't have a small SUV for two or three years," he says. "When we move from ix35 to Tucson in quarter three we won't have a vehicle in that segment."We're waiting for the global SUV, which is a different car. Look at the Intrado."Despite the confusion, there's no doubt Hyundai is keen to cater for this segment.But if you're not there, then you just lose share"Hyundai's famous for small cars," Elsworth says. "It's where the brand was built from so it's not a stretch at all to offer a small SUV. It fits really well with the brand, it's just having the availability of the car."Elsworth says there is a danger a small SUV will take sales away from its top-selling i30 hatch and Elantra small sedan — Mazda3 and Honda Civic sales have dropped with the arrival of the CX-3 and HR-V respectively — but it's a risk that needs to be taken."People will get out of an i30, a Corolla or a Mazda3 and into a small SUV," Elsworth says. "Is it robbing Peter to pay Paul? Maybe. But if you're not there, then you just lose share."In other words, you'd be a cretin to ignore it.

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