Toyota Corolla 2014 News

More value and style for Australia’s best selling car.Toyota has announced its second ‘RZ’ badged special edition model, adding more style and equipment to Australia’s best-selling car.The Corolla RZ follows in the footsteps of the Camry RZ launched earlier this year and includes more standard equipment over the Ascent Sport on which it's based, while adding a number of unique gloss black design features.With satnav accessed through a 6.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system on top of the already-standard reversing camera, the RZ represents $2000 of extra value for $1000 above the price of the $21,290 Ascent Sport.The Corolla RZ also comes with all the standard features of the Ascent Sport, including six-speaker audio, cruise, Bluetooth and aircon.Styling enhancements for the RZ include gloss black 16-inch alloy wheels, black front grille highlights, black hatch moulding which sits between the taillights and black decals with ‘RZ’ badging, with either silver or orange highlights depending on the body colour.Cars with Wildfire (red), Inferno (orange) and Tidal Blue exterior metallic paints feature silver highlights, while cars painted in Crystal Pearl, Silver Pearl and Positano Bronze adopt orange as the secondary decal color.While this special edition model may look sportier than the standard car, the mechanicals are unchanged meaning you get a 103kW/173Nm 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with the choice of either a 6-speed manual or CVT auto transmission.However, at $24,540 the CVT variant is $2250 more expensive than the manual.

New-car sales have slowed for nine out of the past 10 months as Australian-made cars fall out of favour and we embrace luxury cars.Australians are falling out of love with locally-made cars faster than expected, putting increased pressure on the industry to make it all the way to the end of 2017 before Ford, Holden and Toyota factories shut down.Official sales figures for October show that sales of Australian-made cars have tanked and we are buying imported and luxury cars in greater numbers than ever before.The Ford Falcon, once our top seller, hit a new record low of just 396 deliveries in October as the new-car market slowed for the ninth time in 10 months, figures released at midday Thursday are expected to show.The new Commodore has also hit the skids, with sales down by a staggering 33 per cent, which dragged Holden’s tally across the range down by 28 per cent in the same month that company boss Gerry Dorizas left Holden suddenly after a little more than six months in the job.VIDEO: Holden says it's here to stay RELATED: Holden boss makes sudden exit MORE: Govt must boost funds to stop early shut downs Even the bulletproof Toyota Camry is off the boil, with sales down by 15 per cent compared with the same month last year.The Ford Falcon and Toyota Camry are due to receive updates in the next few months and a dip in sales is usually offset by heavy discounting. But both cars have failed to attract buyers as they once did.Despite record low interest rates and car affordability at a 38-year high, official sales figures for October show the market is down by 1.5 per cent compared with the same month last year, with 91,236 deliveries, although we are still on track to buy more than 1 million vehicles in 2014.Private buyers kept their hands in their pockets (sales down 3.9 per cent), as did business fleets (down 2.0 per cent). Only government (up 2.2 per cent) and rental fleets (up 18 per cent) showed growth in October, the latter injecting new cars into the system ahead of the summer holidays.The Toyota Corolla has stretched its lead over the new Mazda3 as Australia’s favourite car for 2014, although the pair is separated by fewer than 1000 sales year-to-date.This means if you’re in the market for a new Corolla or Mazda3 in the next two months you will likely get an even sharper deal as each tries to secure the top-seller title.In other upsets, South Korean car maker Hyundai was the second best-selling brand for the first time ever, ahead of Holden and behind Toyota. Hyundai Australia has been led by CEO John Elsworth, a former Holden executive for 22 years, since 2012.Meanwhile German luxury brand Mercedes-Benz made it into the Top 10 for only the second time ever (the first time was in May this year), ahead of mainstream brands Jeep and Kia.Luxury vehicles now account for approximately 10 per cent of Australia’s new-car sales; the global average is 7 per cent.Top 10 cars in OctoberToyota Corolla 3819 down 1.1 per centToyota HiLux 3228 up 1.7 per centMazda3 2928 down 19 per centHyundai i30 2475 up 4.0 per centFord Ranger 2405 up 18 per centHolden Commodore 2210 down 33 per centToyota Camry 1908 down 15.2 per centMitsubishi Triton 1787 down 2.6 per centVolkswagen Golf 1755 down 10.8 per centMazda CX-5 1594 up 3.5 per centTop 10 brands in OctoberToyota 17,382 down 4.1 per centHyundai 8401 up 3.3 per centHolden 7542 down 28.4 per centMazda 6880 down 13.6 per centFord 6337 down 15.3 per centNissan 5759 up 8.9 per centMitsubishi 5115 up 0.9 per centVolkswagen 4764 down 3.0 per centSubaru 4003 up 40.0 per centMercedes-Benz 3150 up 39.3 per centSource: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, VFACTS. Percentage change compared to the same month last year.

New-car sales hit the brakes in August, the biggest decline since the Global Financial Crisis.

Just 21 cars separate Toyota Corolla and Mazda3 in the 2014 new-car sales race.New-car bargains are set to continue as sales slowed for the sixth month in a row and dealers remain overstocked.Affordability may be at a 38-year-high and prices already at 20-year lows, but new-car deliveries are down by 2.1 per cent in the first seven months of this year (to 649,818 deliveries) compared to the same period last year.Figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries show new-car sales dipped by 0.4 per cent in July compared with the same month last year, with 89,867 vehicles finding new homes.Experts say the downturn could be a "hangover" from last year’s all-time record, with 1,136,227 vehicles reported as sold.Industry insiders believe the official data has been distorted because a number of big brands declared cars as sold last year even though they hadn’t actually been delivered to customers.At least one company, Nissan, has admitted it is delivering more new cars this year than what it is reporting to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, so that it can balance its books. Mitsubishi and Honda are believed to be doing the same."If you look at (the official sales figures) it may look like we’re falling behind, but the truth is we’re clearing stuff that was already counted," Nissan Australia boss Richard Emery told industry journal GoAuto."So the (official sales figures) you’ve been seeing from us is understated compared to what we’ve actually been putting across the (kerb)." One source who asked to remain anonymous told News Corp Australia: "The industry has digested most of the cars declared as sold last year, even though they were still in dealer stock, so you will start to see the reported sales numbers pick up later in the year."With the Australian dollar likely to strengthen later in the year, according to economists, and with interest rates remaining at record lows, sharp deals are expected to continue across most makes and models.At the top of the sales charts the Toyota Corolla and Mazda3 are in a tighter battle than the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore ever were.The last time the Ford Falcon outsold Holden Commodore in a month, in September 2003, it was by just 48 sales (7409 versus 7361).The Toyota Corolla -- last year’s top seller -- has taken the lead in the new-car sales race for the first time in 2014, just 21 cars ahead of the arch rival Mazda3.The Mazda3 was Australia’s favourite car for two of the past three years and ended the Holden Commodore’s 15-year winning streak in 2011.Official sales figures for July show the Corolla was the top selling car for the fifth month in a row, but it is the first time it has topped the year-to-date tally after the Mazda3 posted an unusually high number of "demonstrator" deliveries at the start of the year.However, only four of the Top 10 brands posted sales gains, and Holden’s 10th month in a row of sales surges came to an end, posting an 11 per cent drop in July compared with the same month last year.The Holden Commodore has also posted its first monthly sales decline for the first time since the new model went on sale a year ago. But at least there was a silver lining for Holden: it had three cars in the Top 10.As a sign of the changing times, in the luxury segment Mercedes-Benz’s AMG division has outsold Holden Special Vehicles so far this year; figures show HSV sold 1056 cars to June (with the supercharged HSV GTS accounting for almost half of the brand’s sales) compared with 1208 AMG Mercedes-Benz cars.Top 10 cars in July 2014Toyota Corolla 3800 -- down 3.7 per centMazda3 3421 -- down 1.2 per centToyota HiLux 3140 -- up 5.6 per centHolden Commodore 2469 -- down 12.7 per centHyundai i30 2434 -- up 6.3 per centFord Ranger 2023 -- up 13.5 per centMazda CX-5 1895 -- up 15.7 per centToyota Camry 1806 -- down 12.4 per centHolden Cruze 1747 -- down 29.2 per centHolden Colorado 1443 -- down 14.8 per centTop 10 brands in July 2014Toyota 16,486 down 5.4 per centHolden 8990 down 11.3 per centHyundai 8351 up 4.3 per centMazda 8048 down 5.6 per centFord 6210 down 7.8 per centNissan 5451 up 7.5 per centMitsubishi 5042 down 10.4 per centVolkswagen 3991 up 0.6 per centSubaru 3121 up 0.6 per centHonda 2708 down 1.4 per centSource: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, percentage change compared with the same month last year.

Ute sales boom to new record in June but not everyone was a winner.

Expect a boom in June as car sales are down for fifth month in a row.Stand by for unprecedented discounts on new cars as dealers become increasingly desperate to make up for five months in a row of sales decline. After last year's all-time high the industry had forecast another record year for new-car deliveries and ordered stock in huge numbers -- but there is now an oversupply of vehicles. Despite record low interest rates, sales of new cars were down again in May, after a hitting a two-year low in April and starting 2014 behind last year's sales rate. "It's going to be crazy this month," said one dealer principal with 25 years in the trade. "None of us (dealers) can figure out why the market is so tough. Interest rates are low, prices are sharp, but everyone is sitting on a stack of cars." The dealer said it was "too early to say" if the Federal Budget may have dented consumer confidence when it comes to cars, as it was delivered half way through the month of May. "But if June is down we will know if something is seriously wrong, it's our biggest month of the year," he said. RELATED: Car sales down in April MORE: Holden Commodore sales surge Official figures released Wednesday show 94,562 new vehicles were delivered in May, a decline of 2.3 per cent compared with the same month last year. The decline wasn't as great as April, which was down by 5.2 per cent, the biggest drop in two years. However, the May result means sales in the first five months of this year when combined are down by 2.9 per cent compared to the same period last year (to 441,642 for deliveries from January to May). Seven of the top 10 brands posted sales declines in May; only Holden (up 8.7 per cent), Hyundai (up 4.7 per cent) and Nissan (up 6.0 per cent) bucked the trend. The Toyota Corolla was Australia's top-selling car for the third month in a row, but the Mazda3 still leads year-to-date after an unusually high number of demonstrator vehicles were registered in January and February. Toyota, market leader for the past 11 years, again outsold its nearest rival Holden by almost two-to-one. But, as a further sign of our changing tastes in cars, there was a scuffle for third place between Hyundai and Mazda. Hyundai (up 4.7 per cent) overtook Mazda (down 4.7 per cent) for the second month in a row after beating Mazda four times in 2013. In other upsets, the Volkswagen Golf made it into the Top 10 (for only the 12th time ever) although its tally of 2301 deliveries was still nowhere near its all-time high of 3337 in October 2011. Australians are continuing to buy luxury cars in record numbers, with sales of Audi (up 15.8 per cent), BMW (up 8.2 per cent) and Mercedes-Benz (up 11.6 per cent) all posting increases. Mercedes-Benz made it into the Top 10 for the first time ever, outselling its rivals in the five leading passenger-car categories while BMW led two of the three luxury SUV categories. The figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries show private buyers are driving the overall market. Sales to fleets and businesses are down by 9.1 per cent compared with the same month last year, whereas sales to private buyers are up by 1.6 per cent and continue to represent just over half of all new-car sales. Top 10 brands in May 2014Toyota: 17,246 -- down 9.2 per centHolden: 9012 -- up 8.7 per centHyundai: 8403 -- up 4.7 per centMazda: 7751 -- down 4.7 per centFord: 6950 -- down 4.0 per centNissan: 6281 -- up 6.0 per centMitsubishi: 5780 -- down 17.6 per centVolkswagen: 4918 -- down 11.0 per centSubaru: 3202 -- down 8.6 per centMercedes-Benz: 2611 -- up 10.0 per cent Top 10 cars in May 2014Toyota Corolla: 3871 -- up 6.3 per centToyota HiLux: 3313 -- down 9.5 per centMazda3: 3291 -- up 7.8 per centHolden Commodore: 2648 -- up 60.8 per centHyundai i30: 2553 -- up 1.6 per centFord Ranger: 2317 -- up 35 per centVolkswagen Golf: 2301 -- up 46.1 per centMitsubishi Triton: 2254 -- down 13.5 per centMazda CX-5: 1715 -- down 3.5 per centHolden Colorado: 1689 -- up 22.5 per centNissan Navara: 1541 up 2.5 per cent 2014: The year so farJanuary: down 3.7 per centFebruary: down 3.8 per centMarch: down 0.1 per centApril: down 5.2 per centMay: down 2.3 per cent Source: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, all percentages compared to the same month the previous year.

With a top speed of 325km/h, the new Lamborghini Huracan supercar may be one of the fastest machines on the road, but owners better be good at parking it.A rear view camera and parking sensors are a $5900 option on this $465,000 car, even though they are standard on a $20,000 Toyota Corolla and available as an accessory on any vehicle for as little as $500.As consumer pressure mounts for rear view cameras to be standard equipment on all cars, and in particular on SUVs due to their impact on driveway safety, Lamborghini has defended the decision to make the safety features an option.The Italian company’s Asia-Pacific representative Sebastian Henry said the high cost option was “not so unusual for Lamborghini”.“These have always been Lamborghini optional extras and the Huracan will therefore follow suit,” he said.“Senses and cameras aren’t legally-required and so we think it best to give our Aussie customers as much power as possible to customise their Lamborghini to their liking.”There is a fair bet most Lamborghini customers will take up the option.With the car’s sleek lines, low roof and small back window that overlooks its V10 engine, it’s almost impossible to park without the aid of a camera.The company said 60 per cent of customers take up the option in Australia, although declined to reveal how many buyers negotiate to get the option included in the deal.Rear view cameras on an option on Porsche sports-cars and cost between $1690 and $2580. But it fits them as standard on the Cayenne SUV.From this year, Ferrari has made a rear view camera standard on all its sports-cars.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

New-car sales hit a speed bump in April: it was the worst monthly result in two years and the biggest slump since a Japanese tsunami wiped out vehicle supply in June 2011.Official figures due to be released on Monday show new-car deliveries are down for the fourth month in a row -- by 5.2 per cent compared with the same month last year, to 80,710 deliveries -- dragging the market down by 3.1 per cent year-to-date to a tally of 347,080.April is historically the weakest month for new-car sales because of the school holidays, but even taking this into account it was tough going.Market leader Toyota had its lowest sales result in four months and only three of the Top 10 brands posted gains.Holden was among those to record an increase in April -- albeit by just 16 cars compared with the same month last year -- along with Hyundai and Subaru.The homegrown Holden Commodore continued its dramatic surge -- up 61 per cent after last year’s record lows -- with its 10th month in a row of sales growth.But the Commodore’s recovery is not enough to reverse the decision to end local production in 2017.The Commodore’s tally of 2443 deliveries in April is respectable in the current environment -- it was the fourth best-seller -- but the result is still less than one-third of its monthly sales rate of a decade ago.It was enough, however, to return Holden to second place overall after being relegated to third place by Mazda for the first three months of this year.The sustained market slowdown is further evidence most of the big brands “pushed” cars onto the market last year to reach ambitious sales targets, and reported vehicles as “sold” even though they had not been bought by anyone other than the dealer.They are dubbed “cyber” cars because they’re reported as sold in “cyber space” -- on the car industry’s computer data -- but are in fact not yet sold to a paying customer.Cyber cars eventually get sold in the months after they are reported, and are not counted twice. But the industry choked on them in the second half of last year as everyone seemed to have the same idea.“The market is still digesting cyber cars, the sales figures should become a more accurate reflection of the market by the middle of the year,” said a senior car company executive who asked not to be named.This partly explains why Nissan is still down by a staggering 35 per cent in the first four months of this year, closely followed by Honda (down 33 per cent) and Mitsubishi (down 12 per cent).Meanwhile, the Toyota Corolla was Australia’s most popular car for the second month in a row but the Mazda3 still leads the year-to-date tally after Mazda sold an unusually high number of “demonstrator” models.One-third of all Mazda3s sold in January and February were so-called “dealer demonstrators” -- more than four times the industry average, which is 7 per cent.Mazda Australia boss Martin Benders said the sales push was a “one-off”, and 1000 of the 4500 demo models were of the new generation Mazda3, normal practice at the start of a car’s life.Sedans again proved to be passé, with deliveries of the Toyota Aurion V6 down by 33 per cent for the month, while the Camry was down by 23 per cent and the Ford Falcon down by 9 per cent.Sales of small cars were down by 8.2 per cent for the month as buyers continued their migration to compact SUVs, whose sales were up by 47.5 per cent compared to the same month last year.Buoyed by low interest rates, buyers treated themselves to a record number of luxury vehicles. Porsche was the biggest improver for the month (up 53 per cent), followed by Jeep (up 31 per cent), Mercedes-Benz (up 26 per cent), Land Rover (up 19 per cent), Audi (up 18 per cent), and BMW (up 10 per cent).Top 10 cars in April 2014Toyota Corolla 3315 -- down 5.4 per centMazda3 3057 -- up 7.6 per centToyota HiLux 2572 -- down 12.2 per centHolden Commodore 2443 -- up 61.3 per centHyundai i30 2271 -- up 5.6 per centFord Ranger 2094 -- up 24.2 per centToyota Prado 1622 -- up 27.1 per centToyota RAV4 1548 -- up 16.4 per centMazda CX-5 1543 -- up 2.2 per centHolden Cruze 1468 -- down 35.9 per centTop 10 car brands in AprilToyota 14,930 -- down 11.7 per centHolden 8010 -- up 0.2 per centHyundai 7626 -- up 4.3 per centMazda 7000 -- down 10.6 per centFord 6449 -- down 5.6 per centMitsubishi 4360 -- down 20.1 per centNissan 4157 -- down 18.6 per centVolkswagen 4019 -- down 12.3 per centSubaru 2903 -- up 13.7 per centHonda 2352 -- down 25.8 per cent* Percentage changes compared with same month last yearSource: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries 

Don't expect new-car prices to suddenly drop by 5 per cent now that a Free Trade Agreement has been signed with Japan -- where 35 per cent of all new cars sold in Australia come from -- but you might get some extra equipment.In fact, if the value of the Australian dollar takes a dive and/or the Japanese government decides to stop under-valuing the Japanese Yen (to boost exports), the prices of Japanese cars could actually go up.The exchange rate between the Australian dollar and the Japanese Yen has moved by 60 per cent over the past 10 years (far greater than the 5 per cent difference we're supposed to be getting excited about), and at the moment all the odds are in our favour. Aside from the fact that no-one pays full price for new cars these days, the RRPs of popular Japanese cars are already at 20-year lows.The Toyota Corolla and Nissan Pulsar start at $19,990, the same price they were two decades ago despite being bigger, safer, more efficient and loaded with extra equipment. Furthermore, it's important to note that the 5 per cent tariff cut comes from the price of the car out of the factory gate.So, using a $19,990 car as an example, and taking an educated guess at the wholesale price of the car when it is unloaded off a ship, the 5 per cent cut will come off the "landed" price, say, $15,000. And 5 per cent of $15,000 is just $750.Then add 10 per cent GST, the wholesale margin, the dealer margin and transport costs and you end up somewhere near $20,000 as the retail price of the car, before on-road costs are added. So where's your $750 discount, we hear you ask? Well, we already have a convenient example of where it will likely go: extra equipment at no extra charge.The Toyota Corolla hatch is currently made in Japan and costs $19,990. The Toyota Corolla sedan is currently made in Thailand (with which Australia already has a Free Trade Agreement, so it does not get hit with a 5 per cent tariff) and it is dearer than the hatch: $20,700.That's because the sedan has a rear-view camera and rear parking sensors as standard and the hatch does not. Toyota chose to fit worthwhile safety features rather than trim the price.Now that a Free Trade deal has been signed with Japan, don't be surprised to see Toyota make the same changes to the Japanese-made hatch, adding extra equipment rather than cut the price. Providing, of course, the currency doesn't tank.Then there is the issue that some Japanese cars aren't actually made in Japan. Did you know the Suzuki Alto, at $11,990 one of the cheapest cars on sale in Australia, has a Japanese badge but is made in India?The same goes for the $12,990 Nissan Micra (which used to be made in Thailand and Indonesia and now comes via India). So don't expect a 5 per cent discount on those cars.And most of the Japanese branded-utes (the third-biggest vehicle category in Australia) such as the Toyota HiLux and Nissan Navara, come from Thailand so already benefit from a Free Trade Agreement.There may be more wriggle room on the prices of dearer cars sourced from Japan, but car makers are careful to not destroy the resale value. They go to great lengths to keep prices constant, often riding the currency wave themselves so people don't lose as much money on their cars and hopefully come back to buy another one, sooner. If prices were to tumble as the Government would like us to believe, then guess what? Your car is suddenly worth less at trade-in time.For example, how would you feel if you paid $40,000 for a Japanese car and then, two months later, your neighbour paid $38,000 for an identical model? You've just ripped up an extra $2000 on the resale value of your car, and your neighbour is $2000 in front because $38,000 will become the price the car is judged against. There is no doubt the Free Trade Agreement is ultimately a good deal, but this is a case of be careful what you wish for.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

THE Holden Commodore has made a surprising recovery in the March sales race with a staggering 85 per cent sales increase compared with the same month the prior year -- narrowly missing a place on the podium as the nation’s fourth most popular car.Official figures released today show it was the Commodore’s third-best monthly sales tally since the new VF model went on sale 10 months ago, as the Holden brand overall posted a 19 per cent sales surge -- the strongest growth of any Top 10 brand and the seventh month in a row it has outpaced the market.However, the sharp percentage increases are largely due to the Commodore posting its second-lowest monthly result ever in March last year (1606 sales). The Commodore’s tally for March this year of 2967 sales is still down compared with the 2012 figure of about 3200 deliveries.But the Commodore’s old arch rival, the Ford Falcon, continued to rank well outside the Top 10, with just 641 deliveries. The Cruze small car that is built alongside the Commodore had a tough run, with sales down 30 per cent on the same month last year -- about half the sales rate as the same month just two years ago.March is the typically the second-biggest month for new-car sales as the Japanese brands have a surge in the lead-up to the end of the Japanese financial year, which closed on March 31. The sharp discounting prompts also the non-Japanese brands to compete.Last year’s top-selling car, the Toyota Corolla, led the March sales race -- but the Mazda3 small car, which was the market leader in January and February, still leads the year-to-date tally. The third-placed Toyota HiLux ute again squeezed the Commodore off the podium in March. But the Commodore still managed to outsell the popular Hyundai i30, Ford Ranger ute and Toyota Camry sedan.The Commodore also proved more popular than the updated Mazda CX-5 and Toyota RAV4 SUVs, which ranked just inside the Top 10 sellers list for March. The official figures show the new-car market is beginning to make a recovery after a downturn in January and February. Sales in March were down by just 0.1 per cent, to 97,267 deliveries, while sales in the first three months combined are down by 2.4 per cent.But the downturn has been exaggerated by Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi, which have all posted massive sales slowdowns for the first three months of this year, likely because their dealer networks are still clearing cars that were declared as sold in 2013.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling