Toyota’s Hilux sales crown under threat from Hyundai and Ford

EARLIER this year Toyota’s Hilux cracked cumulative sales of half a million vehicles in Australia.

Back in May, when the milestone occurred, the Hilux (4x4 and 4x2 variants) led the year-to-date sales charts in Australia.

Toyota’s executive director of sales and marketing, Tony Cramb, said at the time that the sales results reflected the enviable reputation Hilux has developed for toughness and reliability.

“Hilux is renowned and respected for its ability to thrive in Australia’s harshest conditions, while also providing the space and features expected by a family,” he said.

However, following four months of stunning form, the latest figures released by VFACTS revealed the Hilux has been overtaken by the Hyundai i30 (22,857 v 21,171).

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For the time being, though, Toyota’s ever-popular Hilux remains the top-selling 4x4 in the country. According to the VFACTS report, the Hilux 4x4 shifted 3385 units in June for a year-to-date figure of 15,484. But Ford’s Ranger is hot on its heels.

Ford shifted more Rangers than the Hilux in June (3477 v 3385) and is quickly making up ground on the Toyota. In fact, the Ranger is a mere 218 sales behind the Hilux on the overall 4x4 YTD charts.

In saying this, the Hilux is expected to extend its remarkable run of 11 consecutive years as Australia’s best-selling four-wheel drive vehicle. These figures, however, suggest that that’s no certainty beyond 2016.

While the first Hilux 4x2 landed here in 1971, 4x4 models arrived in 1980 and quickly became the top seller. In the past decade, total Hilux sales have averaged more than 39,000 vehicles per year, with 4x4 models accounting for almost two-thirds of total sales.

There are at least 16 different variants in the current range of Hilux 4x4 models.