With over 60 vehicle brands offering around 380 models in Australia, it’s no mean feat that the Ford Ranger has topped the Aussie chart for vehicles sold in January and February this year. Data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) shows that the Ranger is still leading the 2023 sales race.
The Ranger (both 4×4 and 4×2 models) saw 4,749 new vehicles sold in January, which was quickly backed up in February by another 4,473 driving off the lot. The Ranger’s closest rival is the Toyota HiLux and Tesla’s Model 3 is running in third place. But I’m pretty confident we won’t see a Tesla on the tracks anytime soon.
Forgetting the 4×2 models, here are the top 4×4 vehicles that drove off the lot in the first two months of 2023, and as you can see, the Ranger is one of the cool kids:
- Ford Ranger: 8,032
- Toyota Hilux: 5,921
- Isuzu Ute D-Max: 3,230
- Mazda BT-50: 2,259
- Mitsubishi Triton: 2,236
- GWM Ute: 1,431
- Toyota Landcruiser: 1,396
- LDV T60/T60 Max: 1,339
- Nissan Navara: 934
- Ssangyong Musso/Musso XLV: 631
It seems that Aussies love the Ford Ranger, with the 4×4 being the clear winner. No surprises there! Also of interest are stats on the Ford Everest and 4×2 Ranger. According to the FCAI, 1,190 4×2 Ford Rangers were sold in the first two months of 2023 as well as 1,982 Ford Everests. Although, it’s unclear how many of the Everests were 4×4 or 4×2.
Other stats of interest
Overall, the Australian automotive industry delivered 171,751 vehicles over January and February, with a staggering 131,882 (77 per cent) falling into the ever-popular SUV or light commercial categories.
Zero and low-emission vehicle sales across all brands, which include battery electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles, accounted for 13.9 per cent (12,102) of vehicle sales across all manufacturers in February. Battery electric vehicles accounted for 6.8 per cent of sales, with 5,932 sold in February.
“Growing sales of electric vehicles proves that where a battery electric product exists which suits the driving habits, needs and finances of Australian motorists, they will purchase these vehicles,” FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber said.
“The number of low emission vehicle sales demonstrates that there is an appetite among Australians for environmentally friendly vehicles. However, if we wish to accelerate this transition to a broader range of consumers in all parts of the country, Australia needs to adopt a fuel efficiency standard,” he added.
Australia hasn’t moved as swiftly to electrification as the USA and Europe, with Ford previously indicating this as one of the critical reasons for a slower introduction here. Still, when we do finally see a hybrid and eventually a fully electric Ranger, it will be interesting to see if the take-up is popular or not.
