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The biggest losers: Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger cop a hammering as cracks appear in Australian new-car market

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2024 Ford Ranger
2024 Ford Ranger
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
3 Oct 2024
4 min read

The long-forecasted cracks have begun appearing in Australia's new-car market, with a record nine-month result tempered by a steep drop in sales in September compared to last year.

In all, 97,020 new vehicles were sold in September in Australia, pushing our market above 900,000 vehicles in just three quarters for the first time. But while early 2024 results drove that total, September sales stalled, down 12.4 per cent on the same month in 2023.

Among the hardest hit were two giants of our new-car sales race, the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, with both suffering significant falls versus the same month in 2023.

The Toyota HiLux recorded 4313 sales in September, down 25.3 per cent from the 5776 it managed in September 2023. The Ford Ranger shifted 4485 units, down 17.4 per cent on the 5429 it managed in the same month last year.

The utes' stumble opened the door for the Toyota RAV4 to claim the title of Australia's best-selling vehicle for the second month running, shifting 5182 units in September, up a massive 85.2 per cent on the 2798 it managed in the same month last year, as Toyota's production woes ease up and orders are fulfilled.

The overall numbers show an easing off in Australian new-car sales, with EV sales stagnating and the broader market beginning to stutter - something Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries Chief Executive Tony Weber attributes to the state of the economy.

“During the early part of the year we witnessed record numbers,” Weber said.

Toyota RAV4 (Image: Sam Rawlings)
Toyota RAV4 (Image: Sam Rawlings)

“However, the September result shows that the state of the economy is impacting purchasing intentions."

Toyota finished the month in first place on the sales charts, accounting for one in every five sales in Australia with a total 18,110 units delivered. Still, that's down on September 2023, when 20,912 Toyotas found homes – a drop of more than 15 per cent.

Ford was in second place, with 8303 sales – up 3.6 per cent on the same month last year – while Mazda finished third, shifting 8201 vehicles, up 2.1 per cent.

Kia finished fourth, with 7650 sales (up 4.8 per cent), while Mitsubishi rounded out the top five with 6130 sales, up 6.4 per cent month on month.

Hyundai (5633 sales), Isuzu (3929 sales), MG (3841 sales), GWM (3802 sales) and Subaru (3169 sales) rounded out the top 10 in September.

Mitsubishi Outlander
Mitsubishi Outlander

In terms of individual models, the Toyota RAV4, Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux claimed the podium positions, while the Ford Everest (2902 sales) and Isuzu D-Max (2612 sales) rounded out the top five.

The FCAI also called out "disappointing" EV sales, with 3561 reported deliveries, down 59.6 per cent compared to September 2023. But that figures comes with a huge caveat, with Tesla and Polestar both declining to provide sales data to the FCAI.

Tesla is Australia's biggest EV brand, with daylight second, so without their numbers included the FCAI EV report is not entirely reflective of the market.

That said, the sale of diesel and petrol vehicles both fell last month compared to September last year, while hybrid and PHEV numbers soared.

Top 10 car models by sales in September 2024 (Australia)

Rank

Model

Sales, Sep '24

1

Toyota RAV4

5182

2

Ford Ranger

4485

3

Toyota HiLux

4313

4

Ford Everest

2902

5

Isuzu D-Max

2612

6

Mistubishi Outlander

2508

7

Kia Sportage

2055

8

Mazda CX-3

1982

9

Mazda CX-5

1799

10

Hyundai Tucson

1766

Top 10 car brands by sales in 2024 year-to-date September (Australia)

Rank

Brand

YTD '24

Sales, Sep '24

1

Toyota

183,606

18,110

2

Ford

74,564

8303

3

Mazda

73,487

8201

4

Kia

62,473

7650

5

Mitsubishi

56,998

6130

6

Hyundai

53,947

5633

7

Isuzu Ute

37,577

3929

8

MG

36,096

3841

9

Nissan

34,660

3067

10

GWM

31,793

3802

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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