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Is Toyota in trouble? Ford Ranger rumbles the HiLux ute again as new-car market booms in February

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The HiLux has been outsold by the Ranger for the last two months.
The HiLux has been outsold by the Ranger for the last two months.

The Toyota HiLux's record as Australia's best-selling vehicle is now officially under threat, with the Ford Ranger taking the crown as the country's most popular vehicle in February, making it now consecutive months that the all-new model has finished on top.

According to the latest VFACTS report, some 4473 examples of the Ford Ranger found homes in February, up a significant 29.5 per cent on the same month last year. Conversely, Toyota managed 3939 sales in February, a fall of 18 per cent year on year. 

Obviously stock supplies, delivery delays and order banks play a significant role in sales results, but Toyota now faces the very real possibility of losing a crown its held for seven consecutive years.

In the first two months of 2023, the Ranger has managed a total 9222 sales, while the HiLux has sold 8070 units. 

Elsewhere, the Australian new-car market is booming, with last month being the best February result since 2019. In total, 86,878 vehicles found homes, up 1.8 per cent on the same month last year.

While the Ranger and HiLux duked it out for spots one and two last month, the big surprise was the Tesla Model 3, which was the third most popular model in Australia last month, with Elon Musk's EV brand shifting 2671 units, finishing ahead off the Mazda CX-5 (2600 sales) and the Mitsubishi Outlander (2166 sales), which rounded out last month's top five. 

The Toyota RAV4, the MG ZS, the Isuzu D-Max, the Subaru Forester and the MG3 hatch held spots six through 10.

On the brand front, Toyota remains unstoppable, shifting an incredible 14,332 vehicles. Mazda finished in second place, with 7667 sales, followed by Ford with 6022 sales, Kia with 6000 sales, and Hyundai with 5504 sales.

The Model 3 was Australia third best selling vehicle in February
The Model 3 was Australia third best selling vehicle in February

“This is the best February result since 2019. It is particularly pleasing given global and domestic supply constraints,” said FCAI Chief Executive, Tony Weber.

Zero and low-emission vehicles continue to boom in Australia, with BEVs accounting for 5932 sales last month, making up 6.8 percent of the market. Add hybrids and plug-in hybrids, and that number grows to 12,102 sales, or 13.9 percent of the market.

“The number of low emission vehicle sales demonstrates that there is an appetite among Australians for environmentally friendly vehicles. However, if we wish to accelerate this transition to a broader range of consumers in all parts of the country, Australia needs to adopt a fuel efficiency standard,” Mr Weber says.

Most popular brands February 2023

RankingBrandSalesVariance %
1Toyota14,332-23.5
2Mazda7667-8.1
3Ford6022+38.4
4Kia6000+5.3
5Hyundai5504+5.0
6Mitsubishi5500-24.9
7MG4363+14.7
8Subaru4054+30.3
9Tesla3516--
10Isuzu3156+5.9

Most popular models February 2023

RankingModelSalesVariance %
1Ford Ranger4473+29.5
2Toyota HiLux3939-18.0
3Tesla Model 32671--
4Mazda CX-52600+105.5
5Mitsubishi Outlander2166+29.5
6Toyota RAV42115-52.5
7MG ZS2047+4.8
8Isuzu D-Max1931+0.1
9Subaru Forester1709+35.9
10MG31622-0.6
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold. But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul. And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard. When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House. But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others. More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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