The Australian car market is dominated by the ute with the Toyota Hi-Lux leading the charge.
This is according to the latest data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) March data.
The Hi-Lux, Ford Ranger and Isuzu Ute D-Max were the top three vehicles sold in March respectively.
The D-Max unseated the Tesla Model 3 which enjoyed two-straight months of being a top three Aussie car.
“March was a solid month for new car sales given the supply constraints car makers are facing both domestically and internationally,” FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber said.
“Year to date sales have increased 2.5 per cent which is a better indicator of the underlying strength of the market.”
Battery electric vehicle sales grew by 19.5 per cent compared to March 2022 despite the Model 3 falling out of the rankings. Plug-in hybrids sales figures also increased by 33.3 per cent.
“This growth demonstrates that where Australians can afford a battery electric vehicle which suits their lifestyle, they will buy them,” Weber said.
“The top three best sellers for March 2023 were utes. It is notable that there are no passenger sedans in the ten top selling vehicles for March. “The consumer preference for utes and SUVs is an important factor to consider as we journey to a zero-emission light vehicle fleet because these vehicles are more difficult and expensive to electrify.”
While Japan remains Australia’s main source for vehicles, China has made a 70.7 per cent surge so far in 2023 compared to last year.
Top 10 vehicle models March 2023:
- Hi-Lux (Toyota) – 4583
- Ranger (Ford) – 4508
- D-Max (Isuzu Ute) – 2789
- Outlander (Mitsubishi) – 2169
- Model Y (Tesla) – 1938
- CX-5 (Mazda) – 1917
- Forester (Subaru) – 1881
- ZS (MG) – 1844
- RAV4 (Toyota) – 1778
- MU-X (Isuzu Ute) – 1745