VFACTS September 2018: Sales soften in September

NEW CAR sales in September across the board were down on previous months, but it was the usual Ranger-versus-Hilux battle at the top of the 4x4 listings. Toyota Hilux outsold the Ford by 468 units over the month to extend its overall lead in 2018 as both the best-selling 4x4 overall and best-selling 4x4 ute.

The 'Lux was no doubt helped by the new, tougher-looking front-end styling and some sharp driveaway prices throughout the month while the Ranger is in run-out mode as the updated model approaches in October.

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4x4 utes remain popular choices with the Mitsubishi Triton, Holden Colorado and Nissan Navara the perennial bridesmaids, while the Toyota Prado was the only wagon to be in the top five sellers and it remains in the top five year-to-date.

Navara had a strong September, bouncing back after a poor showing in August. 1274 of the Nissan utes found homes allowing it to leap Holden Colorado in the monthly sales and the Isuzu D-Max in the YTD figures.

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Our reigning 4x4 Of The Year champion, the Land Rover Discovery, pipped its stablemate the Range Rover Sport to scrape in to the monthly Top 20 4x4 sales while Jeep’s Grand Cherokee held steady to jump a few places as other vehicles had a slow month.

The race to the 2019 flag will be on throughout the remaining three months as the updated Ranger arrives with its Raptor variant and the 2.0-litre diesel engine will also available in regular XLT and Wildtrak models. Will these changes be enough to claw back lost ground on Hilux? Only time will tell.

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