Ute sales, August 2022: Toyota HiLux again beats new Ranger

The Toyota HiLux remains tough in the sales charts as it fended off the new-generation Ford Ranger for a second consecutive month to be Australia’s most popular vehicle.

Toyota registered 6214 Hilux sales for August, comfortably ahead of Ford’s ute rival with 4497 units.

Both utility vehicles grew sales significantly compared with August 2021. HiLux 4x2 and 4x4 sales were up 65 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively; Ranger 4x2 and 4x4 sales climbed 33 per cent and 12 per cent.

The results came in the best August for new-car sales since 2017, with the total market up 17 per cent on this month last year – to 95,256 units.

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The Toyota HiLux is running away with the 2022 overall sales race, with its 44,626 year-to-date tally looking insurmountable with four months of the year left. In comparison, the Ranger has 27,225 sales to the end of August.

Mitsubishi’s Triton 4x4 had a bumper month, with 1757 sales representing a 182 per cent increase. Combined sales of 2087 placed the Triton eighth in the Top 10 sales chart.

The Isuzu D-Max also made it into 10th position with 1928 sales for August, helped by a 44 per cent increase in 4x4 variants.

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There were positive results for the Ram 1500, which hit 499 registrations with a 44 per cent year-on-year increase, and the GWM Ute that increased sales on August 2021 by 58 per cent for 907 sales.

The Mazda BT-50 and Nissan Navara looked to be the victims of supply issues, with their 4x4 sales down 49 and 41 per cent, respectively, compared with this time last year.

Volkswagen has generally been suffering across its showroom with vehicle shortages, and its Amarok ute plummeted 70 per cent when comparing August 2022 and August 2021. VW’s ute is also in run-out phase, however, ahead of a new-generation model due in early 2023.

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The 4x4 ute segment was up 15 per cent on August 2021, though down three per cent year to date. The 4x2 segment increased five per cent compared with last year’s result and is up 12 per cent year to date.

The Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger continue to have a stranglehold on the 4x4 ute segment, accounting for 45 per cent of the market. HiLux completely dominates the 4x2 segment with half of sales.

Toyota will bolster its HiLux range towards the end of 2022 with an upgraded Rogue variant that will become the new flagship. A more powerful GR Sport variant is also coming, though not until the second half of 2023.