Ford Ranger tops the January 4x4 sales charts

FORD’S Ranger has stormed out of the sales blocks to take an early lead in 2017.

Ford managed to shift 2221 4x4 units in January, 257 more than its long-time rival, the Toyota Hilux (1964).

However, the January result indicates a notable decline in sales for both brands compared to December 2016, where Ford sold 650 more Rangers and Toyota 1261 more Hiluxes.

The Holden Colorado (1333), Toyota Prado (1063) and Mitsubishi Triton (974) round out the top three for the month of January.

It was a stellar year in 2016 for new-car sales right across the board, and 2017 looks set to continue that momentum, with the first month of the year maintaining a steady sales result.

In fact, 537 more vehicles (an increase of 0.6 per cent) were sold in January 2017 compared to the same month last year.

Tony Weber, Chief Executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, explained, “Coming off the back of another record sales year, we’re pleased to see a modest gain, with private buyers active in the market and taking advantage of the offers out there from the brands.”

“It’s a very good indicator for the year to come,” he said. “We remain confident that given unchanged economic conditions, the market will remain buoyant.”

Despite this overall growth, the Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) segment fell 3.9 per cent compared to January 2016, with 561 fewer units finding homes.

Interestingly, within the private SUV segment, the sales of diesel engines declined 6.9 per cent and the sales of petrol engines rose by 14 per cent (compared to January 2016).

Australia’s best-selling vehicle for January was the Mazda3 (3473 sales). The Corolla was second (2943), while the Hilux 4x4 and 4x2 (2702) and Ranger 4x4 and 4x2 (2622) rounded out the top four.