Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
4 Mar 2020
2 min read

The Ford Ranger has lost its seemingly unshakeable grip on second place on the Australian sales charts, with the HiLux and red-hot RAV4 cementing a one-two finish for Toyota in February. 

Ford shifted some 3003 Ranger 4x4s in February, up 2.2 per cent on the same month last year, but moved only 199 4x2s, a drop of 54.7 per cent on the corresponding month last year. 

Toyota, on the other hand, moved fewer 4x4 version of its HiLux, with 2682 sold, but more of its 4x2 version, with 739 sold. Both numbers are well short of its February 2019 results (down 21 per cent and 28 per cent respectively), but still proved enough for the HiLux to claim number-one spot last month. 

Read More: HiLux vs Ranger: Ford wins battle, Toyota wins war

Ford's 3202 total Ranger sales were more than the 2624 it sold in January, and yet they saw the Blue Oval's ute slip to third spot for the first time since July 2019, when it was beaten by the Toyota Corolla

Taking its place in second position this time around is another Toyota, the RAV4, with the Japanese giant's hugely popular SUV shifting a considerable 3375 units in February, a signifiant increase in both month-on-month and year-to-date results. 

The news comes as Ford looks to expand the Ranger family, with more special-editions, as well as a possible 'baby Raptor', on the cards for one of Australia's most popular vehicles.

Read More: Baby Ford Ranger Raptor on the cards: Brand looks to "give customers what they want"

A baby Raptor has been mooted, but unconfirmed, since Ford trademarked the name FX4 Max with the Australian Intellectual Property Office in December last year.

While mystery still surrounds that listing, Ford Australia's president and CEO, Kay Hart, has said she's looking at other "options" in the Ranger family. 

"Our interest is in giving customers what they’re looking for, and there is clearly a segment there and a market there for a true off-road and performance vehicle," she has told CarsGuide.

"Does that bring options across the rest of the range? Yes it does. We continue to look at where the next segments are for us."

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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