Ford’s Ranger ute has continued to dominate 2017 4X4 sales, building on a solid lead after two months of 2017 work. It’s currently the highest selling 4X4 in Australia, growing a not-insignificant and trend-bucking 13.6% so far compared to last year. So far, they have shifted 4,718 units.
Toyota’s usually dominant HiLux has slid back to an unfamiliar 2nd place, with 4,344 sales set so far. The new LandCruiser ute with traction control, a price bump and a diesel particulate filter, continues to sell in solid numbers as well, with 989 units being shifted so far this year.
Mitsubishi’s Triton rounds out the 4X4 ute podium with a third place, 2,725 units have sold so far, which is down 5.6% over last year. This is indicative across the board, with overall sales slowing slightly compared to the same time last year.
Toyota’s effervescent LandCruiser Prado keeps bumbling along with solid sales, with almost the excact-same figure being sold compared to last year. The 200 Series LandCruiser, on the other hand, is up 21% compared to last year, with 1,657 new units being pushed to buyers. Nissan’s Patrol, on the other hand, continues to lose market share, slumping 11% less compared to an already low figure last year. So far for 2017, only 245 Patrol wagons have been sold.
It’s not all great news for Toyota, however. The mid-sized Fortuner wagon has flagged quite significantly so far this year, with a 51% drop in vehicle sales. Compared to 610 by March last year, they have only moved 295 so far this year. This slack has been taken up by the interestingly-designed and sharply price Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, who has taken up 1,183 sales so far. This is a 61% jump over last year.
Ford’s Everst has slowed 14% in a market that has only grown 1.2% overall, and Jeep’s Grand Cherokee marque continues to plummet, this time going down 58% to 604 units overall. The Wrangler seems to be affected as well, with a 51% drop on sales so far for the year. The list price of the Wrangler has jumped up $500 as well, which no doubt has affected prospective buyers.
Overall, 2017 4X4 SUV sales have shrunk slightly by just under half a percent compared to last year, in a market that has gone down overall by 3.8%. Here is the list of ute sales so far for 2017:
| Make | Model | Drive | Month | Year | % Share |
| Ford | Ranger | 4X4 | 2,497 | 4,718 | 19.00% |
| Toyota | Hilux | 4X4 | 2,380 | 4,344 | 18.40% |
| Mitsubishi | Triton | 4X4 | 1,751 | 2,725 | 13.20% |
| Holden | Colorado | 4X4 | 1,098 | 2,431 | 11.80% |
| Nissan | Navara | 4X4 | 931 | 1,733 | 12.50% |
| Mazda | BT-50 | 4X4 | 747 | 1,456 | 7.10% |
| Volkswagen | Amarok | 4X4 | 756 | 1,333 | 5.80% |
| Isuzu | Ute | D-Max | 591 | 1,089 | 6.80% |
| Toyota | Landcruiser | PU/CC | 548 | 989 | 4.30% |
