Top 5 Trade Utes: September 2016 car sales

Industry sales for September 2016 reveal the segment expanded by 18 percent compared with the same month last year. In the same year-on-year analysis, passenger cars fell nine percent, SUVs grew by seven percent, and heavy-commercial vehicles barely moved (up less than one percent).

September reflects a year-to-date trend where light-commercials are out-pacing even SUVs, albeit by just a single percent: 11 percent versus 10 percent.

Here, WhichCar focuses on the top 5 best-selling utes in each of the 4x2 and 4x4 segments, as well as the overall battle.

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UTES OVERALL

If the Ford Ranger could replicate its 4x4 form in the 4x2 market, the Toyota HiLux’s decades-long reign as Australia’s most popular workhorse ute would be under genuine threat.

The locally developed Ranger took September honours in the four-wheel-drive ute class though had only about half its rival’s sales in the rear-drive class. The HiLux’s combined total of 3209 units last month pushed it past 30,000 sales for 2016, with the Ranger a clear second for both September (2903) and year to date (26,940).

The Mitsubishi Triton totalled 2246 for third, despite a relatively disappointing 4x2 result. In fourth was the Holden Colorado with 1732, and the Isuzu D-Max registered 1400 units to slot into fifth – just ahead of the Mazda BT-50 (1361). The September placements matched overall positions exactly.

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Top 5 September

Top 5 2016 (to September)

4X2 UTES

The HiLux clearly didn’t have one of its better months in September 2015 as last month’s 898 units marked a quadrupling of sales year-on-year. Neither the Mazda BT-50 nor Isuzu D-Max feature in the 4x4 top 5 but they’re consistently strong performers in the rear-wheel-drive segment.

The Mazda took second, one place higher than where it sits in the overall 2016 race; there was a similar result for the Isuzu, albeit one place further down the table. The Ford Ranger was only four units behind and remains a solid runner-up so far overall.

Holden’s Commodore Ute isn’t a ‘one-tonner’ commercial vehicle, though the car-based utility is still popular with tradies and it again outsold its Colorado stablemate (356 v 204).

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Top 5 4x2 September

Top 5 4x2 2016 (to September)

4X4 UTES

The four-wheel-drive utility segment is providing a fascinating battle between the HiLux and Ranger. The Ford triumphed in September with 2451 sales to close the year-to-date gap to the Toyota – now just a paltry 86 units.

Even if the HiLux looks unbeatable in the overall race (see above), victory in the 4x4 race would still be a stunning result for the older ute – and particularly important considering 4x4s outsell their 4x2 counterparts by a considerable margin.

While the Triton struggled last month in 4x2s, the 4x4 version jumped 23 percent to break the 2000-unit barrier and take the final place on the podium. Holden’s recently updated Colorado was fourth, rising 15 percent, with the Nissan Navara just edging out the Isuzu D-Max (969 v 944) for fifth.

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Top 5 4x4 September

Top 5 4x4 2016 (to September)