Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger top the monthly sales charts

THE Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger were the best-selling vehicles in May on the overall charts, repeating the success of April.

The Hilux and Ranger (4x4 and 4x2 variants) sold 4154 and 4069 units respectively this month, placing them ahead of the Toyota Corolla (3160), Hyundai i30 (2683) and Mazda3 (2594).

In particular, this is a great result for Ford, with Ranger sales up a substantial 30.6 per cent month-on-month – Hilux growth is 13.0 per cent.

Ford’s sales total of 4069 is also one sale short of its all-time monthly sales record of 4070, and sales director, Greg Davidson, said of the result: “Ranger has been incredibly successful, and we’ve continued to offer updates with more equipment, such as SYNC3 in 2016, and FX4 model, which has a unique look and leather-appointed upholstery.”

Things also look good for Ford in the 4x4-only segment, with the Ranger again pipping the Hilux to remain the most sought-after 4x4 – 3384 monthly sales to 3136. The Prado, Colorado and Triton round out the top five on the May 4x4 sales charts.

On the overall market, things were booming this month, with new-car sales up 6.4 per cent on this time last year. And it’s the SUV segment that’s again leading the charge, outselling passenger cars and holding a 38.5 per cent share of the total market.

In particular, mid-sized SUVs are dominating that sector, showing 23.3 per cent growth in May compared to the same time last year.

Passenger cars held a 37.7 per cent slice, while LCVs maintained a healthy 20.6 per cent share.

Tony Weber, chief executive of the FCAI, said: “Light commercials and SUVs were again strong performing segments, both up by 9.4 per cent on the result of May 2016.”