Big discounts on puny cars as Toyota Corolla, Hyundai i30 and Mazda3 battle for top spot
Top-seller status for two thousand sixteen has come down to these three cars, and the deals are getting acute. Picture: Thomas Wielecki
CAR buyers are set to be the big winners of a fierce three-way battle inbetween the Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and Hyundai i30 — each is within striking distance of becoming Australia’s top seller for 2016.
The desperate deals don’t usually embark until December, but big discounts have emerged almost three months out from the finish line.
Can the Toyota Corolla make it four years in a row as our top seller? Picture: Supplied
South Korean car maker Hyundai has just launched another grenade, slashing the price of its Hyundai i30 hatch, so Toyota and Mazda have responded with discounts of their own.
For the past few weeks the Hyundai i30 has returned to $Nineteen,990 drive-away with manual transmission, and $21,990 drive-away with auto.
But Hyundai is expected to limbo to its super-low $Nineteen,990 drive-away with automatic transmission within the coming weeks — a staggering $7000 off the utter RRP.
The last time the Hyundai hatch was this price — from April to June — it topped the sales charts.
The Toyota Corolla — Australia’s favourite car for the past three years in a row — is just one thousand two hundred sales ahead of the Hyundai in the year-to-date tally.
That gap could be overtaken this month — in June, the last time the $Nineteen,990 auto deal appeared, Hyundai sold a record six thousand five hundred examples of its i30 hatch.
It has been eleven years since any other brand sold so many of a single model in a given month. A good month for any of the three top selling cars is usually inbetween three thousand and four thousand sales.
Discount king Hyundai is back to its old tricks with the i30 hatch. Picture: Supplied.
Which is why Toyota has drive-away deals on six of its cheapest Corolla models — from $20,990 drive-away for a Corolla manual hatch, $22,990 drive-away for a Corolla auto hatch and $23,990 drive-away for a Corolla sedan auto.
But not all deals are created identically, industry insiders warn.
Mazda is playing its cards close to its chest. The advertisements only say there is “free” registration, stamp duty and compulsory third party insurance.
Hidden in the detail, tho’, there is still a “dealer delivery” charge, making it firmer for buyers to compare drive-away prices.
One veteran multibrand car dealer told News Corp Australia that the next two months are going to be “a bloodbath”.
Deals on the Mazda3 are less clear cut. Be sure to haggle hard and compare brands. Picture; Supplied
“The discount tap has been turned on,” said the longstanding metropolitan car dealer, who asked to remain anonymous because the manufacturers he represents ask he not speak to the media.
“The problem for buyers will be getting the exact colour they want because the stock will sell pretty quickly. If you get in early you’ll be right, but if you wait until December it’ll be slender pickings.”
As for the brands that don’t publish drive-away prices, the dealer with more than three decades in the business said: “It’s just a trick to attempt to get people into showrooms and then jack up the price. People need to know that ‘free on-road costs’ is not always the same as ‘drive-away’. Buyers need to be careful to compare drive-away prices. Make sure you’re very specific when getting a price,” he warned.
DEALS ON WHEELS
The Hyundai i30 is substituted by a fresh model in early 2017. Picture: Supplied
Hot deal: $Nineteen,990 drive-away for a manual, $21,990 for auto. The $Nineteen,990 drive-away deal on the auto is expected to comeback within weeks.
Save: $5000 to $7000 off total RRP.
Toyota has responded with discounts on more Corolla models. Picture: Supplied
Toyota Corolla hatch automatic
Hot deal: $21,990 drive-away.
Save: $3500 off utter RRP.
Industry experts warn that “free on-roads” is not the same as “drive-away”. Picture: Supplied
Mazda3 hatch and sedan
Hot deal: Drive-away price is anyone’s guess
Save: “Free” rego, stamp duty and CTP insurance, about $1000. Dealer delivery charges are still included, so be sure to haggle hard as they vary from showroom to showroom. Contrary to perception, they do not include the cost of getting the car to the dealership, that is covered in the dealer’s invoice cost. “Dealer delivery” is part of the dealer’s profit.
UPDATE: An earlier version of this story said the Hyundai i30 was presently $Nineteen,990 drive-away with automatic transmission, however that price is due to come back in the coming weeks. The auto is presently $21,990 drive-away until the sharper deal makes a comeback. When the extra $2000 discount (adding up to a total saving of $7000 off the total RRP) is applied, it is funded by Hyundai’s sales head office, not the dealer, which is why they can’t limbo that low until the suggest comes back.