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Commodore tops sales for July

The Commodore is about 120 vehicles ahead in the year-to-date sales race ...

... as the Australian car industry returned to normality last month.

The official Vfacts figures for July are released tomorrow and are expected to show that the Japanese-based carmakers have finally shaken off the production delays arising from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami earlier this year.

That was evident in June when the mid-sized Mazda3 led sales on the back of orders taken after the natural disasters that the company hadn’t been able to deliver.

That spike dropped in July but the Mazda3 was only just beaten into top spot by the Commodore and the duo are battling for bragging rights as the best-selling model of 2011.

The Commodore is about 120 vehicles ahead in the year-to-date sales race but should get another shot of sales when the LPG versions go on sale later this year.

Ford’s new turbodiesel Territory outsold the petrol model for the second consecutive month since its launch. The result proves both the pent-up demand for a diesel in the big SUV and that Australian buyers are accepting diesel as a smart alternative to petrol.

Diesels are an increasingly popular choice, BMW's diesel-engined vehicles are outselling petrol versions for the first time this year.

See this week's Carsguide for the full Vfacts details and a rundown on the diesel v petrol debate.