Holden Commodore News

Hyundai has shocked the car industry by selling a record number of its i30 hatchbacks in June -- in the process setting a staggering 11-year high for any new vehicle sold.Contrary to perception, new-car sales figures are self-reported by car dealers and the car industry.Although new cars cannot be counted twice, the sales figures are not based on actual registrations.Hyundai dealers who spoke to News Corp Australia on condition of anonymity said the i30 sales numbers in June were “fairly straight” and “not as bad as some other brands that were asking us to call cars (declare them as sold).”“Hyundai had a bit of a push at the end of the month but it would be less than about 10 per cent of our total order take on i30,” said a leading metropolitan Hyundai dealer.Hyundai’s success may be about to come to an end, though, because it has raised the price of the i30 in July by $3000, to $22,990 drive-away. A manual verison of the car is now $20,990 drive-away.“We reckon sales will fall off a cliff now, $19,990 is the sweet spot for that car,” said another major Hyundai dealer.Savvy customers may still be able to grab a bargain, however, because most dealers are sitting on unsold Hyundai i30 stock that was intended to be sold at $19,990 drive-away.“It’s up to us to let them go for that price or charge somewhere in between $19,990 and the higher price,” said a Hyundai dealer.The four-month sales surge has blasted the Hyundai i30 to lead new-car sales year-to-date ahead of the Toyota Corolla and Mazda3, our top sellers for the past five years.Ute sales were also string in June, with Toyota delivering 4600 HiLux pick-ups closely followed by Ford with 4050 Rangers.The locally made Holden Commodore and Toyota Camry also performed well driven by new discount offers, with more than 3000 of each finding driveways.Official sales figures for June are due to be published by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries early next week.

NSW Highway Patrol insider suggests European and US alternatives are on the cards after the end of Falcon and Commodore as we know them.

SUVs and utes are hot, sedans are not — that's the message from the latest monthly vehicle sales figures.

As June 30 approaches, things get frantic in the new-car sales business. Brands and dealers feel the pressure and deals come thick and fast — some are better than others.Some car "brokers" make ridiculous claims about saving up to 25 per cent on a new-car price. Best be sceptical as there just has to be a catch — old build plates, unpopular model or colour, old stock etc. Best to deal with the makers direct, as the deals are sharp enough.Market leader Toyota has drive-away pricing on some popular models. The Corolla Ascent manual starts at $20,990, saving about $2500 on full freight. The auto is $2000 more.The Yaris Ascent auto starts at $17,990 drive-away, while the Camry is at a lossmaking $26,990 including prestige paint that usually adds about $500.Toyota is adding extras for no cost on some HiLux variants, for example the tow and stow pack worth $1300.Mazda is taking the drive-away pricing route on some models, starting with the Mazda2 at $16,990 drive-away for the manual. But it also promotes unspecified end of financial year "bonuses" on others. The Mazda6 gains a safety pack at no extra cost.Nissan finance is doing 1 per cent interest on its more popular models and there is drive-away pricing on less favoured badges. The Micra, soon to depart Australia, is the best buying at $12,990 drive-away for the manual, about $2700 off.Mitsubishi is doing free auto upgrades on several models.Hyundai has a mix of incentives. These include drive-away pricing on Accent Active manual hatch at $14,990 — about $3500 off (and just $1000 for an auto). It still has the i30 Active auto at $19,990, roughly $7000 off.There is five years' free servicing on some Hyundais and, on others, free third-party, registration and stamp duty (but not dealer delivery). ABN holders get a $1500 factory bonus on iLoad.Kia's run-out Cerato is $19,990 drive-away, plus free auto plus a $1000 gift card — making it the cheapest small car with auto in Australia. It's about $6000 off full price.In addition, all Kias have an unbeatable seven year/unlimited kilometre warranty.Holden's Step Up Sale has range of incentives, among them drive-away pricing, free auto and three years' free servicing.Holden is doing three years' free servicing on its SUVs, free auto and three years free servicing on the Colorado and Ute and free auto on Commodore. The Spark LS manual at $14,990 drive-away is just $1000 above its RRP.Ford's range is variously boosted by drive-away pricing, cash bonuses of $500, $1000 or $2000 dependent on the model, tech packs on some of the commercial vehicles (Ranger) and auto on some cars.Drive-away pricing is a given or should be at this time of year. If you can't get it, shop other brands.

New car sales are continuing at record pace, but there are big changes in the types of cars we are buying.

Peter Brock's most unique road car is expected to fetch a record price at auction.

Peter Brock fans are in for a rare treat at Shannons Autumn auction on Monday, May 30. Almost 10 years after the King of the Mountain’s shock death, collectors are lining up to bid on a 1984 VK Commodore SS Group 3 Sedan that was Brocky’s personal transport during his stint at HDT Special Vehicles.The VK SS was originally a GM-H company car provided to Peter Brock as a his personal vehicle, which he then converted into the first Group Three in August 1984.It was used for the official press release and studio photography and appeared on the cover of Wheels magazine in October 1984.As confirmed in a letter from Peter Brock the car was subsequently sold to HDT and Brock himself continued to use the car as his personal transport, with the wheels changed and the bonnet scoop deleted.Because of its significance Shannons expect the Commodore to sell for upwards of $100,000.But, in a double header, there’s probably even more interest in a 1984 Opel Monza Coupe that Brock was developing as the prototype of a future HDT Special Vehicle.This unique piece of Australian motoring history is the only survivor of the stillborn Monza project, a glimpse of what might have been and a wonderfully collectible muscle car.The story goes that Brock was inspired by his loan of an Opel Monza coupe while he was racing at Le Mans in 1981.He found the fastback Opel an altogether more sophisticated machine than its Commodore cousin.With disc brakes all round and fully independent rear suspension, Brock was quick to recognise the potential for enhancing the Monza’s performance with some real Aussie grunt and a car was secured from Germany in October 1983 for the full HDT treatment.This included a 5.0-litre V8 to Group Three specification positioned further back in the chassis for better weight distribution (the bent eight actually proved lighter than the in-line six it replaced), a Borg-Warner T5G five-speed transmission, rack and pinion steering and a limited-slip diff.Bigger brakes and stiffer suspension completed the list of mechanical upgrades.The press heaped praise on the prototype, with Modern Motor describing the Monza as “the most exciting car to emerge from an Australian workshop in recent years”.With a projected price of around $45,000, the HDT Monza was aimed at an exclusive market, with production vehicles slated to have a long list of standard luxury equipment.Despite the pleading of journalists and public alike, the HDT Monza remained a one-off due to time constraints and other projects, eventually passing into private hands.It’s expected to fetch up to $120,000 while its Brock 1 number plates will be sold separately.

As we head into the biggest month of the year for new-car sales it's not always easy to pick the real deals.

After 11 straight years of decline Ford has finally started its sales turnaround -- and has notched up a rare win against an old rival.

Ford has bled $1.05 billion in red ink over the past five years, as it prepares to shut its factories.