Toyota | Fleetcare

Top selling cars in Australia 2012

Another year and yet another top ten list showcasing the top sellers. In what is becoming an annual article hereat Fleetcare, we take the top ten selling cars and try to understand what they tell us about the habits of the Australian public. Last year we had the Mazda 3 at number 1 -would it hold its own? Could the Holden Commodore come back? Or perhaps a new contender could take the crown. As per usual, we look past the figures to find... Read More

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Australia’s most searched car brands in 2012 – How the statistics stack up against sales data

If you’re in the market for a new car, and are looking up vehicle specs and prices, what do you do? Google it – anytime we need information about any topic we turn to Google, the world’s most popular search engine, to find our answers, and the topic of cars is no different. But do you know which car brands were the most searched in 2012? Google Zeitgeist compiled lists that best reflect the essence of 2012 from over... Read More

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The Australian auto industry - Where to now?

2012 will be remembered by Australian car people as the year the car sales market bounced back, but what about the locally made Australian cars? The surprising fact is that locally built car sales were up on 2011, however as a portion of the total sales they are down slightly. What's most worrying is the general sales trend. Locally made cars as a percentage of total sales have been falling for years now, and the current range of... Read More

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The top selling cars under the microscope - fuel economy

This Olympic season we were all introduced to something new. This year’s Olympicmedal table got looked at through many new lenses, including medals per head of population, medals per funding dollar and so on. This got us thinking; perhaps we should take a deeper look at the usual top selling vehicles with a little more depth? With this in mind we decided to take the top 30 selling vehicles and make a list of the 10 least fuel... Read More

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The car sales top 10 January to June 2012 - The year so far

Predictions can be a dangerous activity to partake in. Sure, they can make events more interesting and yes, you can make a lot of money if you're good at it. However, there is another side, the embarrassing “wow, I was way off” side. The halfway point is here. Miles off or not, it’s time to look back at those top ten car sales predictions from January and find out how we are doing so far. Avid readers will know that... Read More

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Crisis? What crisis? - Is the auto industry back to boom times?

The 4th of December 2007 was a very cold day in Detroit. GM CEO Rick Wagoner woke up, joined the heads of Chrysler and Ford and drove to Washington to beg for the survival of their industry. Something was clearly rotten in the city of Detroit. While big changes and big progress has been made since that dark day the question still remains; Is the auto industry out of crisis yet? Is the crisis over? The short answer is yes, but nothing... Read More

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Tips for the top – predictions for the top sellers of 2012

2011 was a year of radical change with uprisings, a new country in Africa, financial turmoil and financial miracles. The same, fortunately or unfortunately, could not be said of the Australian top ten selling vehicles. Other than a few re-models and a brief shuffle of the deck very little has changed in the last ten years. In this weeks blogwe give our tips for the top in 2012 and, unless something very big comes along, we're predicting... Read More

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Comments:

Peter said on 26/May/2012 6:53 PM

With the strong Aussie dollar your regular Japanese and Australian car buyers have ventured into the European new car showrooms boosting European carmakers share of the market. In the next few years these European Marques will begin to come out of their warranty period and the horror stories will surface about the extreme high price of parts and repairs. The European car sales will dramatically decline as there new customers they worked so hard to attract scurry back to the safety of the much cheaper to maintain and repair Japan and Australian cars. Of course Eurpean car makers could stop this by doing what they did to sell there new cars which is meet the market on price for maintenance and repairs. Unless they have learnt there lesson from years ago and make there part prices competitive they will again withdraw from the great summer land because Australian's won't tolerate uncompetitive pricing.

S Lodhi said on 10/Sep/2012 11:21 AM

I agree with peter on the foreign car parts issue, they look attractive but when it comes to parts, they are not party. The young rich job holders will buy expensive European cars and pay through their noses for parts and smile but the next time they would buy a Local or a Japanese car preferably a reliable, cheap to maintain Toyota, or Mazda (or Honda, or for small and quick Suzuki{nosier after one year} and not Mitsubishi) Toyota would definitely hold a position in 2012 and all the years to come, given some of us have grown in them, would want them in any shape or size, I strongly believe and suggest people to buy Holdens, because they are Australian cars, parts are friendly and that Commodore on road is definitely a head turner! BMW will sell regardless of we think. China will come up with solutions that will haunt me when I get old, they will catch up and kill KIA, Daewoo, Hyundai etc Toyota will still live If you want to become number one, this is what consumers want: Reliable, dependable strong car to run, cheap to maintain and serve us years and still look nice enough to pass as a decent car to be seen in. Don't Change the looks too often! by the way I love Jeep, American beast!

The New Toyota Camry 2012

“Same, same but different” those were the words of my colleagues from the corporate sales teamon the all new Toyota Camry. Indeed the new Camry provokes an “I’ve seen this car before” response from the uninitiated while treating the seasoned Camry buyer to subtle yet wide ranging changes. While the changes are comprehensive they cannot be perceived as bold. However, considering the year Toyota has had and... Read More

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Top 10 cars series; Indonesia's top selling cars

Posted: 02/12/2011 By: Rory Deegan - Online Marketing Coordinator
Comments: none
Categories: | Automotive Industry News | Toyota

“Indonesia has the fourth biggest population on earth? That can’t be right”. That was my initial thought after discovering that Indonesia has a population of over 237 million people which is over 40 million more than its nearest competitor, Brazil. Along with this huge population, Indonesia also boasts very positive economic growth figures and even managed to post positive growth figures during the global financial... Read More

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Top 10 cars series; China's top selling cars.

Posted: 03/11/2011 By: Rory Deegan - Online Marketing Coordinator
Comments: none
Categories: | Automotive Industry News | Car Review | Toyota | Novated Lease

If India is a small car nation it must be then said that China truly is a nation obsessed with the sedan. Amazingly 9 out of the top 10 are what I would class as “medium” (bigger than a large hatch but no bigger than a Holden Commodore). Admittedly the top ten only represent some 2 million of a total of 18 million cars sold in 2010 however if anyone is in any doubt as to whether or not the other 16 or so million follows the... Read More

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Top selling cars of 2011

Click here for the year end update Jan 2012From cars, to computer games, to holiday destinations and everything in between, top ten lists are a favourite of hobbyists and enthusiasts the world over. From the fickle (the bar stool top ten) to the rigorous (top tens based on massive amounts of results and research), they reveal more and more about how we relate to the world around us and how we prioritise belongings, experiences and... Read More

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Vehicle life expectancy – What does it mean in 2011?

Enacted in October 1960 the United States Trade Embargo on Cuba has had many impacts on the people of Cuba. The most interesting development from a car enthusiast’s point of view is the sheer levels of old cars clunking their ways around the islands road network. How is it that these old jalopy's are still succeeding in bringing locals from A to B after decades of continual use? This week I examine which cars last the longest and... Read More

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The Perth Motor Show 2011; A review

The Perth Motor Show returned to the Perth Convention Centre after a 3 year break to mixed reviews, tentative expectations and guarded optimism. The show was engaging and enjoyable but cost cautiousness on behalf of the organisers (and car manufacturers) was evident as some more fun motor show elements were absent. Highs and lows While the motor show was largely a successful venture with their event managers reporting the attendance... Read More

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What makes a good mine vehicle?

When we think of mine vehicles, images of super dump trucks, diggers and equipment hauling mega machines come to mind. However there is another vehicle strutting its stuff all over mines in Australia; the mine ready four wheel drive (4WD). For obvious reasons a conventional vehicle will simply not suffice in the tough, rugged, dangerous and changeable environment of a living mine. So what makes a long living, sturdy and reliable mine... Read More

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Japan; The need to know parts and deliveries update

This year’s natural disasters in Japanhave caused some of the largest devastation the world has ever seen. With these disasters came loss of life, loss of property and, for many of the survivors, loss of livelihoods. While we all come to terms with the tragedy it is important not to forget the progress which is being made by the resilient Japanese car makers. The table below gives us some understanding of the obstacles which must,... Read More

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What makes a popular fleet car?

Car popularity has always been an issue of debate and popularity amongst fleet cars is a similarly contentious subject. Does popularity really mean quality and reliability, or does it mean something altogether less reassuring? For most, any given car's popularity is a combination of factors, some emotional and some practical, but is it possible to separate the two contributors? Without segmenting the fleet industry too much (the... Read More

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Toyota to stay on top

Posted: 27/01/2011 By: Cindy Anthony - Marketing Assistant
Comments: (2)
Categories: | Automotive Industry News | Government News | Toyota | Occupational Health & Safety

There was a time when Toyota was an automotive leader in the global car industry by a country mile. No other company was able to compare to the staggering sales records, quality reputation, and loyal consumers Toyota had accumulated through-out its years of operation. However, given the year of recalls they had in 2010, what comes to mind now when you think of Toyota? Throughout 2010 as the news of the various worldwide Toyota recalls... Read More

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Comments:

Danial said on 01/Feb/2011 4:22 PM

I bought a Toyota last year, it had nothing to do with marketing, It just happened to be the best car in its class by a long shot

LaoK said on 06/Jul/2011 12:13 PM

in 2003 the wife bought a 2001 Toyota Avalon. This is a re-badged American Camry. I was cynical about the woeful turning circle and likened it to a truck and always told people that you had to go around the block to turn the vehicle around. An exaggeration. The poor turning circle was a big issue for us and in 2005 we bought a Holden Commodore which had a tight turning circle (even tighter on the new models). Over the years I slowly fell in love with the Avalon and even though I am a Holden man the Avalon was the car of choice if we went anywhere together. My Holden is six years old and still has not done 40,000Km. That is because I preferred to drive the slower, smoother, more comfortable Avalon. Now she owns a Prado 4WD and that is my vehicle of choice - the Holden still gets relegated to the car port if we both go somewhere together. The 2.5 tonne Prado is easier to drive than the Holden albeit it noisier (diesel). Other manufacturers have recalls but the press has given Toyota a hammering with excessive negative publicity. I consider it to be unfair. Besides, it is not Toyota but the parts manufacturer. Usually a vehicle manufacturer will source parts from at least two different manufacturers in case of employee strikes, supply problems, etcetera. That is why only certain vehicles get recalled and not all of the same model. Having aid all of this, the point I am making is that i still consider Toyota to be one of the most reliable vehicles on the market and no amount of recalls will sway me away. I have been through recalls with Holden (two just for my side air bags which could accidentally activate and kung-fu you as you alighted) and recalls with Ford. What worries me is when a vehicle manufacturer is not brave enough to announce a recall because of reputation/cost. Toyota have an issue with their Service Centres and poor customer service and they should be looking at this. You can buy a $130,000 Land Cruiser Sahara and get treated no differently than someone who bought a used Yaris.

Cruze vs Corolla

Posted: 15/10/2010 By: Laura Taylor - Marketing Assistant
Comments: none
Categories: | Car Review | Toyota | Holden

Holden, the genuine Aussie icon. Toyota, the reliable household name. Both big names, both big players in the Australian car market. So how do they compare? We take a look at the new and improved Holden Cruze CD (5 speed manual) and put it next to the sturdy Toyota Corolla Ascent Sedan (6 speed manual) to see what these competing brands have to offer in the small car segment. Starting with the first look, the Cruze is a definite... Read More

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The Real Price of Safety

An article caught my eye this week - ”Safety expert: don’t buyCamry Hybrid” (drive.com.au). The reason? It’s only a 4 star safety rating. I don’t know about you, but for a car around $41,000 for the basic model, I’d probably expect 5 stars. When I mentioned this to someone in the office they said, “Most cars are actually 4 star safety – you always have to pay extra to get 5.” This... Read More

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Has Toyota Caused a Rukus?

Posted: 05/08/2010 By: Laura Taylor - Marketing Assistant
Comments: (2)
Categories: | Automotive Industry News | Car Review | Toyota

The Toyota Rukus- a car created to revive Toyota’s presence with the younger market, particularly with Gen Y. But has it succeeded as of yet?With approximately 150 of these vehicles selling each month, around 55% of the buyers have been between 20-40 years old, an age group which usually makes up less than 50% of Toyota’s customers. However, a point that is interesting to note is that when the figures are broken down, more... Read More

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Toyota Ruckus: Trendy or Tacky?

Posted: 04/06/2010 By: Bowan Spanbroek - Marketing Co-ordinator (Gen-Y)
Comments: (3)
Categories: | Automotive Industry News | Car Review | Toyota

We all have that ‘trendy mate’. They are the ones whohad an i-Phone before you evenhad an i-Pod. They were twittering before you had even heard ofFacebook and they're always up with the latest fashion (to the point of irritation). In marketing terms they're called ‘innovators’. A small but powerful crowd that have been proven invaluable for influencing the general public & starting new trends. Why are we... Read More

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March New Car Sales Increase by a Record Breaking 25.2%

In December 2009 the car sales figure dubbed ' the magic million' seemed like a far off prospect left back in 2007/08. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industry chief Andrew Mckellar predictied 2011 as the year Australia would return to pre-GFC sales levels. However the outstanding March new car sales figure of 94,744 was enough to change Mr Mckellar’s somber tune from last year,“This is an outstanding March result and... Read More

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The Australian Camry Hybrid Distraction or Innovation?

Posted: 11/03/2010 By: Bowan Spanbroek
Comments: none
Categories: | Car Review | Technology | Toyota

The new hybrid Camry is a welcome distraction for Toyota Australia amidst the Prius media storm. With the recall extending to Australia the local confidence in their hybrid range has undoubtedly wavered. With a total of 2378 Prius vehicles being recalled early this year consumer and fleet buyers alike may be hesitant about the new hybrid Camry. However Toyota issued in its press release that ‘the locally made Hybrid Camry... Read More

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Toyota Drifts to the Dark Side. Oh what a feeling….

Posted: 15/02/2010 By: Bowan Spanbroek
Comments: (1)
Categories: | Automotive Industry News | Toyota

Every day seems to bring more bad news for the automotive giant Toyota with 4.5 million vehicles recalled internationally, a class action law suit, a congressional hearing starting in America and an award for energy efficiency being stripped in Japan. Their main woes are coming from the US, also Toyota’s region of highest growth. But it seems the US is the source of the underlying problem, and where Toyota began to lose their... Read More

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