FIRE SALE SEES DRAMATIC RISE IN COLORADO SALES

MONTHLY sales of the Holden Colorado 4x4 lifted by a total of 1678 units in March 2020, due to the cost cuts implemented after the closure of Holden last month. People flocked to Holden dealers following the announcement of Holden’s departure, with dealers offering substantial bonuses across its entire range. However, overall new-vehicle sales were hit hard by the global coronavirus pandemic, with sales for the month totalling 81,690 – a drop of 17.9 per cent compared to March 2019, with 99,442 sales registered.

The Light Commercial Vehicle market suffered a 15.5 per cent year-onyear slump, with 3326 fewer vehicles purchased. Amazingly, this has resulted in the 24th consecutive month of negative new-car sales. Expect the dramatic slide in sales to linger, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to halt 2020 and people prefer to hold onto their hard-earned.

Despite these tough conditions, Tony Weber, the chief executive of the FCAI, said many dealerships remain open: “Many dealerships have opted to remain open to maintain support for their customers, particularly from a service perspective, during this difficult period.”

In the 4x4 segment, the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux remain the market leaders with 2947 and 2804 sales respectively in March. The ever-popular, value-packed Triton finished up with 1582 sales for the month, slotting in behind the (as-mentioned) hugely discounted Colorado (2186).