Toyota Hilux claims top spot on the sales charts

THE Toyota Hilux has surged ahead of the Ford Ranger on the 4x4 sales charts, after the Japanese brand shifted 3257 units in February.

So far in 2018 Toyota has sold a total of 6137 Hilux 4x4s; while 5990 Ford Ranger 4x4s have flown off the showroom floor. The Mitsubishi Triton rounds out the big three, with 1634 4x4s sold in February and 2947 units sold so far this year.

In a consistent trend, the SUV and LCV segments again showed growth. Compared to February 2017, upper large SUV sales increased 12.9 per cent, and LCV 4WD sales are up 17.9 per cent.

So far this year the new car market is experiencing a 6.1 per cent growth in sales compared to the same time last year. Tony Weber, the chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), puts this down to strong value and increased competition among brands.

“Consumers are supporting the value propositions that the brands are offering,” Weber said. “To have the market already running 6.1 per cent ahead of last year’s record total indicates that consumer confidence is still strong and all those elements which underpin our economy remain in position.”

On the overall sales charts the Hilux (4x2 and 4x4 variants combined) sits atop with 4426 sales. The Ranger (4x2 and 4x4) remains in second with 3544 sales. They are followed home by the Toyota Corolla (3270), Mazda3 (2935) and Mazda CX-5 (2191).