Hilux, Ranger and Triton among best-selling vehicles in March, 2017

THE Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger (4x2 and 4x4 variants combined) were the best-selling vehicles in Australia during March, 2017.

An impressive 4245 Hiluxes found new owners in March this year, an 8.9 per cent increase on March, 2016. While 3845 Rangers were sold during the same period, a whopping 29.9 per cent increase on March last year.

Also sitting pretty in the top five is Mitsubishi’s Triton, with 2670 4x4 and 4x2 vehicles shifting from the showroom – this represents a 2.6 per cent decrease in sales from March 2016. Mitsubishi puts this slide down to less sale days in March last year due to the Easter holidays.

The overall LCV and SUV segments remain the strongest growing in the market, with sales when combined accounting for 60.3 per cent of total vehicle sales. Specifically, LCV sales accounted for 20.9 per cent of the overall market, an 11.3 per cent increase on March, 2016.

In February, SUV sales overtook passenger-car sales for the first time in the industry’s history, and March sales consolidated that trend.

“Two months in succession, of SUV sales leading the market, is further confirmation of a trend we’ve been observing for some time,” Tony Weber, chief executive of the FCAI, said. “For the first three months of 2017 the SUV segment is now the dominant sector, whereas this time last year passenger cars led the market by around 10,000 sales. Clearly, the shift in market dynamics is accelerating.”

He continued: “Sales of medium-sized SUVs were particularly strong in March, up 18.3 per cent on the same month last year. That’s a very strong indicator of the vehicle size, versatility and value for money that appeals to a lot of Australian families.”

The overall best-selling vehicles for March were the Hilux (4245), Ranger (3845), Corolla (3574), Mazda3 (3039) and Triton (2670).