Officially, 2016 Toyota HiLux reached the first place on the sales list in Australia in 2016, and it is the first time we have a light commercial ute at number one. Its rival, Ford Ranger finished fourth, just ahead of the Mazda 3.
A total of 42,104 units of HiLux were sold last year which allowed this vehicle to take the top position in front of another Toyota model – the famous Corolla, which ended 2016 with 40,330 vehicles sold. The third place was reserved for Hyundai i30 that was also appealing to the buyers in Australia with 37,772 sales.
According to Tony Cramb, the Toyota Australia’s executive director sales and marketing the fact that the HiLux ended the year at the number one spot is a “significant turning point” for the Australian market.
He said: “HiLux has made history as the first vehicle of its type to stand on top of the sales podium in Australia because it has broad appeal with the car-buying public. The buyer profile has changed dramatically in recent years, with HiLux progressively offering the upmarket features and comfort demanded by families while maintaining its traditional popularity among tradespeople as the consummate workhorse.”
Moreover, he added: “As recently as 2011, the biggest-selling variant was the 4×2 single cab-chassis in tough-as-nails Workmate trim – a vehicle where ‘air conditioning’ meant you opened the windows.While demand for that variant has not diminished, and air conditioning has been made a standard, we now sell almost twice as many top-of-the-range 4×4 SR5 double cabs fitted with luxury features such as climate-control air-conditioning, keyless entry and ignition, satellite navigation and the option of leather-accented seats.”
“In fact, shifting consumer preferences resulted in several ‘firsts’ in 2016: the SR5 was our biggest-selling HiLux grade and accounted for more than half of all HiLux 4×4 sales, and an automatic transmission was specified by the majority of buyers,” declared Cramb.
Overall, Toyota dominated in Australia with 209,610 sales which placed it ahead of Mazda and Hyundai with 118,217 and 101,555 sales respectively.
Top-selling models 2016
1. Toyota HiLux – 42,104
2. Toyota Corolla – 40,330
3. Hyundai i30 – 37,772
4. Ford Ranger – 36,934
5. Mazda 3 – 36,107
6. Toyota Camry – 26,485
7. Holden Commodore – 25,860
8. Mazda CX-5 – 24,564
9. Mitsubishi Triton – 21,987
10. Hyundai Tucson – 20,132
