Holden's Local Heroes Do It Again

VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA – May 4, 2011: Holden’s local heroes, the iconic Commodore and increasingly popular Cruze small car, have finished first and fourth in the April sales race.

According to official figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries today, Commodore was the number one selling vehicle in April with 3,075 units sold, accounting for 55.6 per cent of the large car segment.

The Holden Cruze star continued to rise in April as the first Australian-built Series II models were delivered to customers. Cruze complemented Commodore’s winning month with 2,582 sales, making it Australia’s fourth highest-selling vehicle and number two in the small car segment.

Customers have responded well to the combined benefits of fuel economy and punchy performance from the new 1.4 iTi Cruze, with strong demand expected to drive great results this year.

Increased supply of the new Series II Captiva range contributed to strong April sales of Captiva 7 (752 units), placing it third in the medium SUV segment.

Holden Executive Director of Sales, Marketing and Aftersales John Elsworth said Holden was well placed in the growing small car and compact SUV segments.

“We’ve responded to an extremely competitive market by broadening the appeal of core models like Commodore, Captiva and Cruze with a choice of fuel-efficient powertrains, a higher level of overall refinement and more clever features,” he said.

“Commodore remains the dominant force in the large car market and we’ve increased our share to 56.9 per cent year-to-date.

“Holden’s product renaissance over the coming 12 months is only going to strengthen the brand with the introduction of exciting new models like the next-generation Barina and all-new locally designed Cruze hatch just over the horizon.”

Australians purchased a total of 9,113 new Holden vehicles in April, giving Holden a 12.3 per cent market share and 38,628 year-to-date sales.