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Utes haul load in June car sales

The HiLux also does well in showrooms because there is a model for nearly everyone.

The Toyota HiLux topped Australia's official sales charts for the third straight month, powering ahead of the Mazda3, Toyota Corolla and Holden Cruze from the popular small-car class.

It was joined by the Nissan Navara in fifth and the Mitsubishi Triton in tenth as businesses raced to beat the end of the financial year and also cashed-in big bonuses from most of the major makers.

Even the Falcon ute managed its best showroom effort in seven months, although it was a long way short of the top-10 list. "We're seeing a number of trends that influence the result for the HiLux," says Toyota Australia's Mike Breen.

"Utes have become much more car-like over the past 10 years, in comfort and safety, and more people are using them for double duty. So they might be primarily for work but they can also double as a family car." 

"There has also been an underlying trend towards 4x4 pick-ups, with sales up by 127 per cent from 2002 until 2011. That's also been helped by the boom in house construction and also mining."

But the HiLux also does well in showrooms because there is a model for nearly everyone, with 35 different varieties based on cabin size and layout, load space, engine choices and driveline options. "Currently, 78 per cent of demand for HiLux is for the 4x4 double cab turbodiesel. More than half of retail sales are for the top-line SR5 model."

Breen says the surge in overall ute deliveries is party because most of the Japanese makers are still catching up with back orders from last year, when their Thai factories were flooded. There are also a number of strong new arrivals, including the Ford Ranger, Mazda BT50 and Volkswagen Amarok.

Outside the ute class, the June VFacts numbered reflected a fairly constant pattern since the start of 2011, culminating with an all-time best result - and a June record - of 112,566 vehicles. Australia's three local carmakers finally got a little good news in June, with year-to-date sales of the Ford Falcon-Territory, Holden Commodore-Cruze and Toyota Camry-Aurion up by nearly 7000 on the halfway point of 2011.

On the downside, Holden's Commodore slumped to its worst ranking on record, just eighth and even beaten by the Volkswagen Golf thanks to aggressive deals by the German maker. Ford is trumpeting the best result of the year for its Falcon, even though it is still heading for the worst result in the history of the nameplate, and the strongest sales in five years for the Territory SUV.

The ongoing sales surge has manufacturers forecasting a potential record result on December 31, with most targeting a total in the 1,080,000 range for 2012.

Top 10 sellers June 2012

1.  Toyota HiLux 4308
2. Mazda3 3924
3. Toyota Corolla 3804
4. Holden Cruze 3057
5. Nissan Navara 3034
6. Hyundai i30 3024
7. Volkswagen Golf 2746
8. Holden Commodore 2743
9. Toyota Camry 2303
10. Mitsubishi Triton 2186

Top 10 brands - June 2012

1. Toyota 21,649
2. Holden 10,632
3. Hyundai 9672
4. Mazda 9593
5. Ford 9140
6. Nissan 8330
7. Mitsubishi 6498
8. Volkswagen 6446
9. Honda 4136
10. Subaru 4101