Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger sales battle decided
We bought a record number of new cars in 2023, and two leading makers were locked in a battle for bragging rights as the country’s best selling car.
RECORD new-car sales helped the Ford Ranger end the seven-year reign of the Toyota HiLux to be crowned Australia’s favourite car for 2023.
The result is a fairytale comeback for the Blue Oval in Australia. The last time it claimed number one spot was in 1995 with the Falcon.
The brand survived the death of local manufacturing in 2016 to become a global hub for the Blue Oval, employing more than 1000 engineers and designers to develop the Ranger, which is sold in more than 180 countries worldwide.
Ford Australia boss Andrew Birkic said the result reflected a team effort.
“There are so many people who play a role in the success of a vehicle,” he said.
“For Ranger, that’s our team of designers, engineers and everyone at Ford who pours their passion into making the vehicle what it is, our dealers who are passionate about serving their customers and communities, and ultimately our Ranger customers whose passion for their vehicle is what gets us up in the morning.
“This number one spot is thanks to the combined passion of all these people. Without any
one of them, Ranger wouldn’t be where it is today.”
Toyota Australia vice president Sean Hanley said the result “really went down to the wire”, with both vehicles racking up more than 60,000 sales.
“I’d like to congratulate Ford on their number one in the ute market,” he said.
“The Ranger is obviously an excellent vehicle and a strong competitor.
“Of course we would have liked to make it eight in a row.”
The victory came against a backdrop of record new-car sales in Australia last year.
More than 1.2 million vehicles were sold, eclipsing the previous record of 1.19m set in 2017.
Toyota was the number one brand, a title it has held for the past two decades.
Both Toyota and Ford put the pedal to the metal in the race to claim the top spot, introducing new models and shoring up supply of vehicles from overseas factories.
Ford even leased its own ship to bring in Ranger and Everest models from Thailand, rather than relying on third-party transport services.
The Blue Oval delivered an extraordinary 7767 examples of the Ranger in December to leapfrog the HiLux in the last month of the year.
Utes had a strong year, with the diesel-powered Isuzu D-Max joining the Ranger and HiLux on the podium.
Toyota’s RAV4 was the highest non-ute, finishing just ahead of MG’s ZS SUV.
Electric cars also reached new highs, more than doubling the number delivered last year.
Ford’s success with Ranger pushed it into third place behind Toyota and Mazda, ahead of rival brands such Kia, Hyundai and Mitsubishi.
Tesla finished inside the top 10, having dominated the EV sector, making up more than half the sales.
Tony Weber, chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, said it was a strong year for the car industry.
“This extraordinary result is a testament to the adaptability and resilience of both
industry players and consumers alike,” he said.
“Despite the supply chain disruptions faced in recent times, consumers now have greater access to a broad range of choices, fostering increased accessibility in the market.
“As we celebrate this historic achievement, we recognise that the automotive sector will face challenges in the coming months. Cost-of-living pressures and increased interest rates will impact the market, and we anticipate a challenging 2024.
The battle to be crowned Australia’s favourite car went down to the wire.
The Ranger and HiLux racked up more than 55,000 sales in the first 11 months of the year, leaving the pair separated by just 379 units heading into December.
Sydney electrician Jamie Ielo joined team Toyota by purchasing a HiLux in August.
“I bought it because of Toyota’s reputation for reliability and longevity. If you ask anyone, they’ll tell you Toyota is very reliable over the years,” he said.
“I’m a sparky, so it’s half for work and half play.
“There’s plenty of room for tools and that sort of thing, and it has electrical outlets too.
“I haven’t taken it off-road yet, but I will soon.
Toyota added new HiLux models such as the rally-themed GR Sport to its range this year in a bid to ward off the Ranger.
Ford did the same, introducing new machines such as the Ranger Wildtrak X.
Toyota enjoyed a sales advantage in cheaper two-wheel-drive versions preferred by rental fleets.
The Blue Oval sold more high-end examples such as the Ranger Raptor that costs more than $100,000 when fully optioned.
Ford customer Andrew Carroll had been a Land Rover man for decades before he picked up his top-of-the-range Ford Ranger Raptor five weeks ago.
The businessman, who travels extensively for work, said he made the switch because he “just wanted something a little more value for money”.
“The Ranger ticked all the boxes for everything that I wanted – all the fancy driving safety features and all that sort of stuff – and a fairly decent engine.”
He covers more than 40,000km a year in his work with the rail industry and wanted “a nice comfortable drive”.
“I drove a lot of vehicles before we landed on this,” he said.
“And I would say I’m impressed. I was quite blown away actually. It’s a super nice car to drive.”
Last year’s cost of living struggles didn’t bother the top end of town, as Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Bentley and McLaren all enjoyed an increase in sales.
BMW overtook Mercedes to become the top prestige brand, ahead of Audi, Lexus and Volvo.
Originally published as Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger sales battle decided
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