Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger top the October sales charts

TOYOTA’S Hilux and Ford’s Ranger (4x4 and 4x2 models) were the best-selling vehicles in October, Australia-wide.

According to the October VFACTS report, Toyota sold 3352 Hiluxes (4x4 and 4x2) to become the most sought-after car on the market. Ford sold 3217 Rangers (4x4 and 4x2) to slide into second place on the charts.

The popular workhorses leapt ahead of Toyota’s ever-popular Corolla, which posted 3210 sales.

It seems more and more people want a bigger rig these days, and we don’t blame them.

The combined sales of SUVs and Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) accounted for 56.2 per cent of national vehicle sales during October.

In fact, the sales difference between SUVs and passenger cars closed to its smallest ever margin, with just 1375 sales separating the two segments in October.

Tony Weber, chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, said: “The gap between the two [SUVs and passenger cars] is narrowing by the month, and should this trend continue it is likely that SUVs will become the larger segment sometime in the foreseeable future.”

The big news doesn’t end there: In the race for 4x4 supremacy the Ford Ranger has overtaken the Toyota Hilux on the charts.

Ford shifted 2751 Ranger 4x4s in October, while 2422 Hilux 4x4s found new homes. On the year-to-date sales chart, this means Ford has sold 25,189 Rangers compared to Toyota which has sold 24,946 Hiluxes.

With two calendar months left, it’s safe to say it’s going to be a cracking end to the year!