Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger top the monthly sales charts

THE Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger were the best-selling vehicles in May on the overall charts, repeating the success of April.

The Hilux and Ranger (4×4 and 4×2 variants) sold 4154 and 4069 units respectively this month, placing them ahead of the Toyota Corolla (3160), Hyundai i30 (2683) and Mazda3 (2594).

In particular, this is a great result for Ford, with Ranger sales up a substantial 30.6 per cent month-on-month – Hilux growth is 13.0 per cent.

Ford’s sales total of 4069 is also one sale short of its all-time monthly sales record of 4070, and sales director, Greg Davidson, said of the result: “Ranger has been incredibly successful, and we’ve continued to offer updates with more equipment, such as SYNC3 in 2016, and FX4 model, which has a unique look and leather-appointed upholstery.”

Things also look good for Ford in the 4×4-only segment, with the Ranger again pipping the Hilux to remain the most sought-after 4×4 – 3384 monthly sales to 3136. The Prado, Colorado and Triton round out the top five on the May 4×4 sales charts.

On the overall market, things were booming this month, with new-car sales up 6.4 per cent on this time last year. And it’s the SUV segment that’s again leading the charge, outselling passenger cars and holding a 38.5 per cent share of the total market.

In particular, mid-sized SUVs are dominating that sector, showing 23.3 per cent growth in May compared to the same time last year.

Passenger cars held a 37.7 per cent slice, while LCVs maintained a healthy 20.6 per cent share.

Tony Weber, chief executive of the FCAI, said: “Light commercials and SUVs were again strong performing segments, both up by 9.4 per cent on the result of May 2016.”