Ford Ranger 2016 News

New car sales are continuing at record pace, but there are big changes in the types of cars we are buying.

Ford is patting itself on the back because it has queues stretching around the block for its new Mustang and the most expensive versions of its new Ranger Wildtrak.But this newfound popularity is a double-edged sword. How many customers is Ford losing because they're not prepared to wait a year for a Mustang and six months for a ute?Ford has been telling us breathlessly it is finally listening to the customer. It might also want to look at how it got its forecasts so massively wrong.Ford thought only 1000 Aussies would take a Mustang in its first year.At last count, the order bank stretches beyond 6000.It expected only 4 per cent of Ranger demand to be the $60,000-plus Wildtrak model.True demand is running at 15-20 per cent.The lesson for buyers: if you sign for an in-demand car, you should get in writing the likely delivery time.Then amend the contract or insert a clause — "deal is null and void and deposit is refunded in full if the car is not delivered by (date)" — and get the dealer principal or most senior person on the floor to countersign.Otherwise you could be left hanging indefinitely.Here's a case study: my mate, a lifelong, second-generation Ford fan, was prepared to wait six months for a Wildtrak — only to have the delivery date moved back. Ford hadn't ordered the car from the factory until seven weeks after he put down his deposit. So he walked into a Toyota showroom and ordered a HiLux SR5 with the lot. He picks it up this week, six days after signing the deal.He'll get his deposit back but it'll be a long time before he's in a Ford showroom again.There could be many other customers like him. The predicament worsens if they're uncertain as to when their car will arrive and whether they're entitled to get their deposit back.

Despite doom and gloom forecasts there WILL be life in the car industry once local manufacturing reaches the end of the line -- if Ford's topsy turvy week is a guide.

After 11 straight years of decline Ford has finally started its sales turnaround -- and has notched up a rare win against an old rival.

Ford has bled $1.05 billion in red ink over the past five years, as it prepares to shut its factories.

Why Aussies are ditching locally-made Holden and Ford utes in favour of imports from Thailand

Major upset: Hyundai i30 is Australia's favourite car, beating Toyota Corolla and Mazda3.

Want proof Australians can't spend enough on their utes?

Australians are on track to buy more SUVs than passenger cars for the first time in our motoring history.Official new-car sales figures for January show the gap between passenger cars and SUVs is the closest it has ever been.Passenger car sales were down by 11.5 per cent while demand for SUVs surged by 19.5 per cent.If the trend continues, SUVs could overtake passenger cars by the end of this year.Just 2141 sales separated the two vehicle types last month (35,214 versus 33,073); this time last year the gap between the two biggest categories was six times greater.New-car buyers kept their foot on the accelerator in January, buying 84,373 vehicles of all shapes and sizes.But Ford’s arch rival Holden dropped dramatically in January (down by 18.8 per cent, the biggest decline among the Top 10 brands) after posting a sales surge for the previous four months in a row.There were four utes in the Top 10, and they were also the top-selling models for Ford, Holden and Nissan. But Hyundai once again pushed Holden out of third place outright, after doing so for seven out of 12 months last year.Three luxury brands finished just outside the Top 10. Audi has only overtaken BMW on seven individual months in more than 50 years in Australia, including four times in 2015, and once in 2014 and 2013.Top 10 cars in January 2016Mazda3: 3722, down 4.6 per centToyota Corolla: 2758, down 20.6 per centFord Ranger: 2418, up 35.5 per centToyota HiLux: 2341, up 0.4 per centHyundai Tucson: 2065, up 26.2 per centHyundai i30: 1852, down 11.5 per centMazda CX-5: 1750, up 3.0 per centHolden Colorado: 1691, up 9.5 per centNissan Navara: 1670, up 60.5 per centVolkswagen Golf: 1606, up 4.4 per centTop 10 brands in January 2016Toyota: 12,453, down 8.8 per centMazda: 10,016, up 11.2 per centHyundai: 7001, up 1.4 per centHolden: 6824, down 18.8 per centNissan: 5563, up 22.6 per centFord: 5504, up 2.7 per centMitsubishi: 5007, up 22.7 per centVolkswagen: 4341, down 1.3 per centSubaru: 3405, up 9.7 per centKia: 3116, up 29 per centSource: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

Kia's family seven-seater stands out, setting a precedent in a singular field.