Holden Commodore, Ram 2500 and Jeep Renegade headline largest sales decreases in 2020

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Sales of Holden's Commodore went into free-fall this year after the mode was discontinued in late 2019.
Stephen Ottley
Contributing Journalist
18 Jul 2020
5 min read

It’s no secret that 2020 has been hard for the local car industry. The emergence of the Coronavirus pandemic has put restrictions on dealer trading while buyers have become more cautious as the economy tightens.

We’ve looked at the individual models that have bucked that trend and enjoyed significant growth, but now we’re going the other way and seeing which models have suffered the biggest percentage drops.

We’ve looked at the VFACTS new sales data provided by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries to find the biggest drops of mainstream models (no sports or upper luxury cars).

Citroen C4 Cactus - down 97.3%

2016 Citroen C4 Cactus.
2016 Citroen C4 Cactus.

The quirkiest of quirky French cars has taken a hard hit in 2020 due to its discontinuation. Only two buyers have grabbed one of the small crossovers with the plastic-protected doors and lounge-style seats. That’s a big decline from the 74 examples Citroen managed to sell early in 2019.

Jeep Renegade - down 96.1%

2016 Jeep Renegade Limited
2016 Jeep Renegade Limited

Jeep Australia axed the Renegade from its line-up in February and with only 51 sold in the first half of the year 2019, it’s understandable. So, with only limited stock available as Jeep began clearing the deck last year, it’s hardly surprising only two Renegades have been sold in 2020.

Read More: Jeep Australia axes Renegade small SUV: Exclusive

Renault Clio - down 94.3%

2016 Renault Clio GT Premium. Picture credit: Richard Berry.
2016 Renault Clio GT Premium. Picture credit: Richard Berry.

This year hasn’t been kind to the French, with Renault joining Citroen at the head of this list. The Clio city car has always been something of a bit player - offering Gallic flair at a price premium over its Asian rivals - but with a new model on the way it has been in run-out model this year.

With the bottom end of the market tightening, and city car sales in decline anyway, it’s not a shock to see only 22 Clio were sold; down from 388 in H1 2019.

Read More: Renault Clio and Captur E-Tech detailed: France's hybrid hatch and plug-in SUV electrify

Ram 2500/3500 - down 86.9%

The good news for Ram is the 1500 has enjoyed a 126% sales increase in 2020 - but that’s seemingly come at the expense of its bigger brothers - the 2500 and 3500 workhorses. With the focus on the smaller model, American Special Vehicles has reduced capacity for its bigger models, with only 17 sold so far this year, compared to 130 in the first half of 2019.

Read More: New Ram 2500 Heavy Duty 2021: Here's when you can buy the Ford Ranger Raptor-crushing jumbo truck

Hyundai Sonata - down 86.0%

Sporting a new look: The facelift Hyundai Sonata is clearly trying to look sportier than previous models.
Sporting a new look: The facelift Hyundai Sonata is clearly trying to look sportier than previous models.

An ageing mid-size sedan about to be replaced by a newer model - it’s the perfect recipe for a plummet in sales. The Sonata performed admirably in the first half of 2019 (for a mid-size sedan) selling 492 examples. But so far in 2020, with people likely aware an all-new version is on the way, only 69 have been sold.

Read More: Hyundai Sonata 2020 N Line primed for police

Renault Captur - down 84.1%

Like the Clio, the Captur compact SUV has also been on run-out ahead of the arrival of an all-new model by the end of the year. So, taking that into account, plus the circumstances with COVID-19 hitting the market, selling 28 new Capturs (compared to 176 in the first half of 2019) is arguably impressive.

Skoda Superb - down 83.0%

Skoda Superb Sportline Wagon 2017
Skoda Superb Sportline Wagon 2017

It’s arguably the best large, non-premium sedan and wagon on sale today, but the market wants what it wants - and big, family-friendly passenger cars are not in demand. Even so, the Czech car’s drop from 524 sales in H1 2019 to just 89 has also been affected by the anticipated arrival of an updated model later in 2020.

Read More: New Skoda Superb Scout 2020 pricing and specs detailed: Subaru Outback rival gets off-road treatment

Ford Mondeo - down 82.8%

I know what you’re thinking, and yes, Ford still sells the Mondeo. It’s most definitely on run-out and there are plans afoot to eventually replace it with a Subaru Outback-style crossover wagon.

For now, the current, aging and unpopular model carries on but managed only 79 sales amid its gradual decline and the coronavirus hit; compared to 458 sales in the same period last year.

Read More: Ford Mondeo to morph into electrified Subaru Outback rival - report

Holden Commodore - down 81.3%

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Sales were already in steep decline when Holden decided to discontinue the Commodore in December last year. So, it’s understandable that sales went into freefall in the first half of this year as the brand tried to clear the deck of the imported model.

Having sold 3251 examples of the famous nameplate in the first half of 2019, the departing Holden brand managed just 608 sales in 2020.

Read More: This is the Holden Commodore Australia will not get

Suzuki Ignis - down 75.5%

Normally at home in the cityscape of Tokyo, can the Ignis make sense in an Australian capital city?
Normally at home in the cityscape of Tokyo, can the Ignis make sense in an Australian capital city?

It’s been a mixed year for Suzuki, with the Japanese brand’s Baleno small car enjoying a huge increase in sales but the pint-sized Ignis crossover taking a big hit. It seems the appeal of the little part-hatch/part-SUV has been reduced recently, with only 173 sold in 2020 (compared to 705 in 2019).

Read More: New Suzuki Ignis 2020 pricing and specs detailed: Prices up for tiny Hyundai Venue rival
Stephen Ottley
Contributing Journalist
Steve has been obsessed with all things automotive for as long as he can remember. Literally, his earliest memory is of a car. Having amassed an enviable Hot Wheels and Matchbox collection as a kid he moved into the world of real cars with an Alfa Romeo Alfasud. Despite that questionable history he carved a successful career for himself, firstly covering motorsport for Auto Action magazine before eventually moving into the automotive publishing world with CarsGuide in 2008. Since then he's worked for every major outlet, having work published in The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Drive.com.au, Street Machine, V8X and F1 Racing. These days he still loves cars as much as he did as a kid and has an Alfa Romeo Alfasud in the garage (but not the same one as before... that's a long story).
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