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Toyota HiLux wins record June sales race

Thanks to a June sales figure of 5461 units, the Toyota HiLux remains Australia’s most popular new vehicle.

Toyota's HiLux has once again led from the front, with 5461 units sold during what was a record June for the Australian new-vehicle market, according to official VFACTS data.

A total of 134,171 cars found homes nation-wide last month – the highest tally for any in history – while the Ford Ranger placed second behind the HiLux with 5051 examples moved.

This marked the first time that the Ford and Toyota one-tonne utes were both members of the over-5000 club, likely thanks to business and private buyers taking advantage of end-of-financial-year deals.

The Ranger’s result was up 23.9 per cent on June last year when it achieved its previous personal best, while HiLux sales increased by 18.3 per cent over the same period.

The dominance of the HiLux and Ranger represents a shift in local buyer preference to utes – in particular 4x4 versions – that satisfy both personal and business needs.

This is evident given 4x4 ute sales are up by 9.2 per cent so far this year, whereas passenger cars have dipped by 6.8 per cent. However, SUVs are also charging hard, with 5.0 per cent more finding homes.

Overall, the Aussie market gained 4.4 per cent on June 2016's then-record total of 128,569, which has helped spurn year-to-date sales towards another historic annual haul (up 0.2 per cent for the first half).

Toyota claimed the overall sales crown again with a monster 24,546 result – up 11.2 percent over the same month last year – but fell shy of its all-time monthly record of 25,624 in June 2008.

No Holden model placed inside the top 10 for the month.

Furthermore, the Japanese company had four of its models feature in the top-10 best sellers, which helped to almost outsell its nearest two rivals – Mazda (12,501) and Hyundai (12,251) – combined.

Mazda saw its own monthly record fall – increasing by 0.4 per cent over last June's 12,455 total – allowing it to remain the market’s number-two preference.

Meanwhile, Holden claimed fourth place with 9273 units – falling by 18.5 per cent over its June 2016 figure – just seven vehicles ahead of Mitsubishi (9266) which continues its quiet surge up the sales charts.

No Holden model placed inside the top 10 for the month, while Mitsubishi's Triton came in eighth with 2995 sales. Former market leader, the Commodore, slumped by 32.7 per cent to 2054 units, with its October production end date looming.

The biggest climber in June's market was Kia, with its sales soaring by 30.3 per cent.

Ford sales jumped by 6.5 per cent over the previous June, with its 8853 vehicles enough to secure sixth place. Supply of the Blue Oval's previous best seller, the Falcon, continues to dry up, with just 11 finding homes after its production run ceased last October.

Hyundai managed a tremendous result for its Tucson mid-size SUV, which leapt to the top of the June SUV rankings with 3741 examples shifted, staving off the omnipresent Mazda CX-5 (2487).

However, the biggest climber in June's market was Kia, with its sales soaring by 30.3 per cent to a record 6737 units for the month, good enough for seventh spot in the combined sales chart.

Toyota's Corolla won its small-car segment with 3830 sales, edging ahead of the Mazda3 (3490) and Hyundai i30 (3471).

Did you purchase a new vehicle in June? Tell us in the comments below.