VFACTS May 2024: Ranger supremacy continues, but HiLux not far behind

Rinse and repeat! Yep, unsurprisingly the Ford Ranger yet again sits atop the 4x4 sales charts, with the Blue Oval securing top spot on the podium with a total of 5449 sales in May 2024.

However, the result wasn’t as dominant as prior months, with the ageing Toyota HiLux registering a mightily impressive 5055 sales (4x4 variants). The Everest was the third best-selling vehicle – and most popular 4x4 wagon – in May, ending the month with 2110 sales in the bank. As always, the trusty D-MAX wasn’t too far behind, with 2049 4x4 sales for the month.

Adding 4x2 variants to the mix only strengthens the Ranger’s supremacy, with the Ranger remaining the best-selling overall vehicle in Australia with 5912 sales. It was followed by the Toyota HiLux (5702), Toyota RAV4 (5517), Isuzu D-MAX (2612) and Toyota LandCruiser (2578).

The 300 Series ended the month with 1482 sales in the book, which is up from 1364 sales at the same time last year (+8.7%). Its closest competitor in the upper large SUV segment, the Nissan Patrol, is also experiencing a healthy sales period – 622 sales for the month (up from 501 in May 2023, or +24.2%).

The budget brawl continues between the LDV T60, GWM Ute and SsangYong Musso, with GWM’s Ute (685 sales) outselling both the T60 (510) and Musso (420). This is despite both the GWM Ute and LDV T60 registering a considerable decline in sales in May compared to May 2023 (-26.4% and -38.0% respectively). Alternatively, the Musso improved on last year’s monthly result, showing growth of 23.2 per cent. At the opposite end of the market, the Silverado outsold the Ram 1500 by 332 sales to 207.

A deeper dive into the overall market reveals that new vehicle sales in Australia have reached a total of 512,753, which is a significant increase (+55,920) compared to 456,833 sales at the same time last year.

The LCV market in particular has performed well, with sales up 13.9 per cent (year-to-date) compared to 2023: 114,157 (2024) compared to 100,192 (2023). A total of 25,317 LCVs were sold in May 2024, up from 23,824 vehicles sold in May 2023. Overall, the LCV segment makes up 22.8 per cent of the market so far in 2024, compared to SUV (53.6%) and Passenger (19.1%).

The PU/CC 4x4 segment is also strengthening, with 19,140 sales registered in May 2024, an increase of 11 per cent compared to May 2023 (17,244 sales. Year to date, a total of 86,892 PU/CC 4x4 sales have been registered, compared to 73,938 in 2023 (+17.5%).

In a sign of the times, both hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles have shown considerable growth so far in 2024, capturing 15.8 per cent of the overall market compared to 7.9 per cent in 2023. However, diesel remains king in the LCV segment, with a total of 103,887 sales registered so far in 2024 – up from 90,363 at the same time last year.

Comparatively, a total of 9927 petrol-powered vehicles have been sold so far this year, which is pretty much on par with the 9776 sales seen last year. Electric sales in the LCV segment are up from 53 to 163, and hybrid sales have increased from 0 to 180.

“The continued growth highlights consumer confidence and the industry’s ability to meet diverse needs of Australian motorists despite current economic challenges,” said Tony Weber, FCAI Chief Executive. “The Australian market is one of the most open and competitive in the world which supply consumers with a wide choice of vehicle across all segments and price categories.”