Ford Ranger takes HiLux down to the wire in 'Best-selling vehicle of 2023' race

The Ford Ranger beat its Toyota HiLux nemesis by 400 units in November's sales as it closes in on its target of becoming Australia's most popular vehicle.

Ford Australia registered 6301 sales of its locally developed ute last month compared with 5901 for its rival that has been the country's best-selling model for the past seven years.

The Ranger's 4x4 variants continue to be its trump cards, with the HiLux maintaining an incredibly narrow year-to-date lead thanks to strong sales of its 4x2 models.

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Ford sold just 301 4x2 Rangers in November compared with 6000 4x4 models. In contrast, there were 1058 and 4843 registrations for 4x2 and 4x4 HiLux models, respectively.

With just December remaining, the HiLux leads the Ranger by just 379 units - 55,968 versus 55,589.

The Ranger has been the new-car-sales bridesmaid since 2017. After running the HiLux close in 2021, it was thrashed last year by its rival.

Ford's ute has the momentum, however, having beaten the HiLux for the last two months. Ranger sales are up 30 per cent - or 12,773 sales - on this time last year, compared with HiLux sales that are down seven per cent (or by 4152 sales).

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If it were to overtake the HiLux in December, it would be the first time a Ford has been Australia's best-selling vehicle since the Falcon was No.1 in 1995.

The Ranger has the advantage of being the much newer vehicle, having launched in the second half of 2022 in latest-generation form. The current HiLux has been around since 2015, albeit with significant updates over the years including new variants such as the GR Sport (pictured above).

A new-generation HiLux isn't expected until 2025.