Ford Ranger best-selling 4x4 in July

THE Ford Ranger has maintained its positon on top of the 4x4 sales charts for the month of July.

According to the latest VFACTS report released today, Ford shifted 2357 units of the Ranger nationwide last month.

The Toyota Hilux has placed second two months in a row, with 2311 units finding new homes in July.

If the trend continues, this makes the race for overall year-to-date sales very interesting, with the Ranger poised to edge within striking distance of the enduring Hilux by year’s end.

The Hilux retains a small margin, with 17,795 sold nationwide this year compared to 17,623 Rangers. However, the gap between the two tough off-roaders has shrunk to just 172 units (it was 218 last month).

Holden’s Colorado, Nissan’s Navara and Toyota’s Prado round out the top five.

July proved passenger car sales are declining as a proportion of the overall market in Australia. In July 2015, passenger cars accounted for 44.9 per cent of the market; in July 2016, that figure has dwindled to 41.6 per cent.

This fall can largely be attributed to the booming SUV (37 per cent) and LCV (18.5 per cent of the market) segments.

FCAI’s chief executive Tony Weber said: “The ongoing strength of SUV sales, especially among business buyers, is bringing a healthy momentum to the market.”

The 4x4 ute segment saw a 9.7 per cent rise month-on-month, while 1320 more LCV vehicles were sold than the same month last year (an 8.5 per cent year-on-year rise).

Australia’s overall best-selling vehicles in July were: Toyota Corolla, Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, Hyundai i30 and Toyota Camry.