As the refreshed Toyota 86 arrives in Australia, some interesting sales figure details have been released by Toyota.
HERE’S THE total number of Toyota 86s sold in Australia:
In 2012 the vehicle was released, and since then sales have dropped. This is entirely normal for a new sportscar, so while the figures don’t suggest it, the 86 has very much been a sales success. Back in 2012 and 2013 it was hard to buy one and waiting lists were months-long. The 2016 figure is year to date.
Yet mere sales success wasn’t the only reason for the 86. Toyota needed a car that made it cool again, and the 86 certainly was that. The car also bucked a trend:
Yes, 41% manual transmission. Fewer and fewer vehicles are even offered in manual, but 86 buyers love their manuals. They also prefer the higher-grade GTS:
And what about transmission type by grade?
Nearly twice as many GT buyers opted for a manual than an auto. Maybe that’s because they were budget-limited, or maybe (like me) they preferred a manual. In the early days the auto GTS didn’t have the rear Torsen LSD which is a drawback on the track.
Moving on, guess what the most popular colour is?
No idea why white wins, but it does. Blue is the least popular, perhaps because Subaru own that colour with the BRZ.
And where do 86 buyers live?
Mostly in NSW and Victoria, as you’d expect. But what happens if we control for population?
We find that the ACT is 86 Central, and despite having some of the finest driving roads in the country, you’re unlikely to find 86 owners in Tasmania. Anyone know why?
We are presently testing the new MY17 Toyota 86 (as per the title shot) and will have a full report up next week.
Futher reading
- Toyota 86 long-term test
- A conversation with Tetsuya Tada, chief designer of the Toyota 86
- Jane Speechley’s long and winding road to her 86
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NOT a sportscar, not now, not ever
Just a coupe, nothing more.
Are you from Tasmania?
LOL, well played!
🙂
Must be.
I think Tasmanians tend to not buy new cars as much as the other states due to lower income levels. Your graph might look similar for any model of new car? I have read that they own a lot more cars per capita (due to poor public transport) and also that they are more likely to be old cars (income) and they drive the least amount of kilometres per year (income, pop. density). So, if you don’t have the money, but need a car to drive short distances, then a brand new sports car probably isn’t the first choice.
3 reasons:
1. Lower average income, demographics that tend to buy practical or economical cars
2. Small network of dealers means less discounts. The 86 has a high RRP, but easy to haggle down below competitor prices.
3. Has the highest proportion of ‘seniors’. The 86 appeals to the younger demographics, join the dots.
Not enough chlorine in the gene pool. They buy those crap corollas and camrys in their droves though. 86 is the only decent car they’ve made since the Supra and GT4.
Robert, first answer to your question is easy, SUV! It is all about the weather and the roads, and Taswegians like to go bush walking and exploring. Proof of that is SUV sales in Tassie, with Subaru outselling Toyota at least one month this year, in passenger SUV sales, and a record for Subaru.
Now that out of the way, your numbers don’t seem to match in the split from Auto and manual then model mix auto/manual. It seems that you may have had the manual around the wrong way with auto in first chart and Manuals accounted for 58.6% of sales. If not, the third pie chart is wrong. Not being critical, just curious what the actual result is.
interesting article so don’t change what you are doing guys.