Australia 2010 new vehicle sales up 10.5 pct on yr

SYDNEY Jan 6 (Reuters) - Sales of new vehicles in Australia fell 2.4 percent in December from a tax-boosted result a year earlier, though sales for the whole year topped those in 2009, industry data showed on Thursday.

For all of 2010 sales were estimated at 1,035,574 vehicles, an increase of 10.5 percent over 2009.

The Australian Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries said vehicle sales fell 2,121 in December compared with the same month last year, to stand at 86,587.

That was a solid result given sales in December 2009 had been boosted by tax breaks for small business, part of a government stimulus package in the wake of the global financial crisis.

Sales were down 0.9 percent from November but after adjusting for seasonal patterns, they were actually up 1.2 percent.

Toyota Motor Corp again took top sales position in December with an increased share of 24.2 percent. For all of 2010, Toyota had 20.7 percent, a drop from 21.4 percent in 2009.

The Holden unit of General Motors Corp held second spot with a share of 12.1 percent in December, and 12.8 percent for the entire year.

Ford Motor Co. took third with 8.3 percent for the month and 9.2 percent for the year. Mazda held 8.1 percent in December and 8.2 percent for 2010, while Hyundai had 6.8 percent for the month and 7.7 percent for the year.

Hyundai made the biggest gain for the year improving its market share by a full percentage point, while Ford lost the most ground.

Details of the VFACTS report in original terms:

Dec Nov m/m pct Dec09 y/y pct

Sales 86,587 87,342 -0.9 88,708 -2.4

Sales by Type: Dec '10/Dec '09 Volumes

Change Pct Change

Passenger Vehicles +4,416 +9.5

Sports Utility -1,061 -5.4

Light Truck -5,728 -28.6

Heavy Commercial +252 +10.2

(Reporting by Wayne Cole; Editing by Mark Bendeich)