HOLDEN has posted its worst monthly sales result in its 70-year history despite the industry hitting the accelerator in February, according to official figures released today.

The loss of the locally made Commodore has put a massive dent in Holden’s sales tally and new imported models are yet to fill the void.

The rank of eighth place is the lowest Holden has been in the Top 10 since it was established in 1948; its market share of 4.9 per cent is also a record low, a fraction of its peak 21.6 per cent in 2002.

Holden’s weak result comes despite a surge in new-car sales of 95,999 deliveries, up 7.8 per cent on the same month last year and just shy of the February record set in 2016.

Holden was the only one of the Top 10 brands to post a sales decline — of 18 .1 per cent — other than Mazda which slipped just 0.1 per cent.

A statement from Holden said it had been “planning for a slower start to the year in terms of sales but it’s always our aim to sell more vehicles and our current market share is not where we want it to be”.

Holden said the new Commodore sedan and Equinox SUV were only just beginning to arrive in dealerships.

“We’ve got our strongest product line-up ever, with more in the pipeline, so we expect to bounce back quickly,” said Holden spokesman Mark Flintoft.

Commodore sales dropped by 53 per cent in February as it switched from an Australian-made to a German-made model.

By comparison, Toyota Camry sales dropped just 6 per cent since sourcing the car from Japan after the Australian Camry factory closed late last year, within a month of the Holden factory shutdown.

Adding to Holden’s sales woes: it reported record Astra sales in December even though not all vehicles were delivered to customers.

Contrary to perception, official new-car sales figures are based on manufacturer claims rather than actual registrations, which can create a lag in accurate customer delivery data as the sales can be reported months earlier.

The car industry defends the process, saying vehicles can’t be counted twice.

Meanwhile, Australians continued their love affair with utes, with the Toyota HiLux (up 30 per cent) and Ford Ranger (up 20 per cent) maintaining the top two spots, while the Mitsubishi Triton and Nissan Navara pick-ups also made it into the Top 10.

The top-selling passenger cars were the Toyota Corolla and Mazda3, although both posted sales declines as buyers continue to switch to SUVs.

Top 10 brands in February 2018

1. Toyota 18,281 — up 12.1 per cent

2. Mazda 9913 — down 0.1 per cent

3. Hyundai 8001 — up 14.3 per cent

4. Mitsubishi 7142 — up 24.0 per cent

5. Ford 6059 — up 6.9 per cent

6. Honda 4962 — up 55.3 per cent

7. Nissan 4863 — up 9.9 per cent

8. Holden 4689 — down 18.1 per cent

9. Volkswagen 4671 — up 1.1 per cent

10. Kia 4664 — up 11.7 per cent

Top 10 cars in February 2018

1. Toyota HiLux — 4426 up 30.7 per cent

2. Ford Ranger — 3544 up 20.9 per cent

3. Toyota Corolla — 3270 down 3.6 per cent

4. Mazda3 2935 — down 6.6 per cent

5. Mazda CX-5 2191 — up 13.3 per cent

6. Hyundai i30 2182 — up 8.9 per cent

7. Mitsubishi Triton 1894 — down 0.3 per cent

8. Toyota RAV4 1841 — up 6.7 per cent

9. Hyundai Accent 1782 — up 47.8 per cent

10. Nissan Navara 1779 — up 52.5 per cent

Source: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries. Figures are based on manufacturer claims, not actual registrations.

This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling