Local and Imported Holdens Make Strong Showing in January

VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA – Feb 3, 2012: Holden has enjoyed a strong January sales result, with positive performances across a range of local and imported passenger and SUV models.

According to official VFACTS figures released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, Holden sales increased 8.1 per cent compared to January 2011 – well ahead of the market at 4.3 per cent – with the company selling a total of 9061 vehicles for 11.8 per cent market share.

The South Australian-built Cruze small car led Holden sales for the first time, with 2,445 sales for the month and 13.1 per cent share of the small car segment.

Cruze was closely followed by Commodore, which sold 2170 units in January for 49.7 per cent of the large car segment.

Holden’s seven-seat Captiva 7 kicked off 2012 as the second best-selling large SUV with 997 units and 13.8 per cent segment share. Its Captiva 5 stablemate also put in a strong performance with 662 units sold.

In only its third month of sales, the new-generation Barina Hatch contributed to an outstanding Barina result of 1,318 units and a healthy 13.8 per cent share of the competitive light car segment.

Holden Director of Sales Philip Brook said although January was traditionally a quieter month, recently-introduced models like the Series II Captiva, Barina and Cruze Hatch were proving hot property.

“Holden’s product renaissance is really picking up pace and key models are notching up very pleasing performances in their respective segments,” he said.

“We’ve got more exciting and diverse products in the pipeline, beginning with a new Barina sedan, which goes on sale this month. The sedan will add a new element of flexibility and choice to our Barina line-up, which is already a strong performer for Holden.

“As we speak, Holden experts are putting the finishing touches on the all-new Colorado light truck, and we expect it to be a serious challenger in the Australian light commercial market.

“And we’ve got a fantastic story to tell about our new mono-fuel LPG Commodore, which will offer customers large car practicality and reduced running costs, as we roll out the new LPG model line-up in the coming weeks.

“Our focus remains on building and selling the cars Australians want to buy and with a raft of new models due in the coming months, we’re looking forward to an exciting year ahead.”