Ford Ranger leads the recovery of 4x4 sales

September new vehicle sales in Australia showed a slow but steady trend back up, with the total number of new vehicle sales down 21.8 per cent compared to September 2019.

One-tonne ute sales continue to lead the market, with the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux leading the charge - it’s the same two names at the top of the 4x4 sales ranks.

The Hilux began to claw its way back after the runout of the previous model resulted in its lowest figure for a long time in the month of August, but the updated Hilux was strong in September. Expect it to be challenging the Ranger for the number one spot by next month.

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While Hilux sales mightn't have been at their best, we doubt Toyota is feeling the pinch. No other company will come near it for total new car sales, and its latest Rav4 SUV has topped the sales for the previous two months, only slipping back to third in September.

Three of the top-10 selling cars in Australia and four of the top 10 4x4s are Toyotas, and the brand holds 19 per cent of the total new vehicle market.

Also making a comeback with a new model in September was Isuzu with its all-new D-MAX ute up to sixth place for the month. Expect more from this one as its sales hit full swing over the remainder of 2020.

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Utes might make up the lion’s share of 4x4 sales, but the LandCruiser 200 and Prado buck the trend with steady, strong sales each month. Isuzu’s MU-X is often up there on the charts but dropped back in September, while the Ford Everest made a rare appearance as the tenth best-selling 4x4 for the month.

While LC200 sales are strong and steady its only real rival is the Nissan Patrol Y62, and its sales are up 14.6 per cent in 2020. To put that in perspective, Nissan has sold 1671 Patrol so far in 2020, while Toyota has sold 9222 Cruisers.

A 4x4 wagon we haven’t seen in the rankings for a while is the Land Rover Defender, which registered 85 sales of its all-new model in September. The factory that builds the Defender was shut down for two months during the height of the pandemic in Europe, and the first batch of Defenders that arrived in Australia was limited in numbers. In fact, all of the diesel models were sold and only the P400 Defenders are available now until the next batch arrives next year.

We don’t expect to see the Defender selling Land Cruiser or Prado numbers anytime soon, but it’s good to see it back.

4X4 SALES: SEPTEMBER 2020

1. Ford Ranger: 3454
2. Toyota Hilux: 2790
3. Mitsubishi Triton: 1234
4. Toyota LC200: 990
5. Nissan Navara: 919
6. Isuzu D-MAX: 856
7. Toyota Prado: 820
8. Toyota LC79: 609
9. LDV T60: 582
10. Ford Everest: 517

4X4 SALES: YEAR TO DATE (SEPTEMBER 2020)

1. Ford Ranger: 26,377
2. Toyota Hilux: 23,053
3. Mitsubishi Triton: 12,148
4. Toyota Prado: 10,752
5. Toyota LC200: 9222
6. Toyota LC79: 6982
7. Nissan Navara: 6911
8. Holden Colorado: 6572
9. Isuzu D-MAX: 6081
10. Mazda BT-50: 5343