Is the future shaky for sedans and wagons?
Thursday, 12 July 2018
One of the biggest motoring news stories of the year has been the announcement by Ford that it will stop building passenger cars in North America.
No more Taurus, Fiesta, Fusion (Mondeo in NZ), or Focus. The only traditional passenger vehicles it will continue building are the Mustang and a jacked-up crossover version of the Focus, called Focus Active.
That announcement was really significant, and it immediately prompted a wealth of questions . Will the same thing happen with Ford in Europe, from where New Zealand sources vehicles such as the Focus and Mondeo? What about the other major brands and their cars, such as Holden with the Commodore and Toyota with the Camry?
New Zealand new vehicle sales statistics dramatically underline the reasons why these questions are being asked.
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* Meet New Zealand's new kind of family 'car'
* It's a sad year for the Aussie vehicle assembly industry**
Just 14 years ago medium and large passenger cars dominated our new vehicle scene. In 2004, more than 18,500 large cars and close to 14,000 medium-sized cars were sold in New Zealand – and they combined forces to command 43.5 per cent of the entire new vehicle market.
By last year this figure had fallen dramatically to a mere 8 per cent, comprising sales of 5498 medium and 3174 large cars.
The reason for this massive fall is obvious: it's because of the advent of the SUV and the gentrification of the one-tonne ute. They're now very much the vehicles of choice, and ordinary sedans and wagons have suffered the consequences.
And that, on a world scale, is why Ford has perhaps started things rolling by deciding to drop most of its traditional passenger cars in US and focus its efforts more on becoming a so-called 'mobility' company. It will be interesting to watch what now happens with the rest of the new vehicle industry.
Meanwhile, despite the fact that far fewer medium-sized and large sedans are being told today than a decade ago, more than 8000 sales a year remains solid business, and the car companies are continuing to work to meet that demand by introducing new and faceliifted product.
In the medium sector, Toyota has this year introduced a new Japanese-built Camry, which replaces the previous-generation model which had been built in Australia. The new model range offering an appealing selection than runs from an entry model four through to a new 3.5-litre V6 that replaces the Aurion. And in between there are three hybrids.
Ford Mondeo is fighting a close sales battle with the Camry. It is currently available with a choice of petrol, diesel and hybrid powertrains and may have its range expanded in the next year or so to include plug-in hybrids and even full electric models.
Another popular model is the Mazda6, which has just undergone a facelift, the project giving the vehicle an even more streamlined body. A significant addition to the Mazda6 range is the Takami sedan which is the first Mazda outside the big CX-9 sedan to be powered by the brand's 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine that offers torque on par with a 4.0-litre V8.
Other medium-sized vehicles that continue to sell in reasonable numbers include the Skoda Octavia, Hyundai i40, and Volkswagen Passat.
The large car class is dominated by the new Holden Commodore which holds a share of better than 71 per cent. The freshly-launched vehicle is easily the biggest-selling medium or large passenger vehicle, and the only vehicle in the large car segment that comes anywhere near it is the Kia Stinger.
The top premium medium-sized car is the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and sales are almost certain to improve later this year when a heavily facelifted model arrives in New Zealand.
BMW 3-Series and 4-Series are also popular, as is the Audi A4 , Jaguar XE, and a comprehensive fleet of Lexus IS and ES models.
And here's a pointer to the future – the biggest-selling vehicle in the premium large passenger segment is the fully electric Tesla Model S. It's closely followed by the BMW 5-Series, Volkswagen Arteon, and a solid selection of Audi models including the A6 and RS6.
The passenger vehicle category known as upper large – catering for big vehicles costing more than $100,000 – is dominated by the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, followed by the Porsche Panamera and the BMW 7-Series and 6-Series.