THE Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger (4×2 and 4×4 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 4×4 and 4×2 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).

u00a04X4MAR 17FEB 17YTD
1Ford Ranger330424978022
2Toyota Hilux311523807459
3Mitsubishi Triton235017515075
4Holden Colorado167110984102
5u00a0Nissan Navara14099313142
6u00a0Toyota Prado13831320u00a03766
7Toyota Land Cruiser Wagon11949442851
8u00a0Isuzu Ute D-MAX11325912221
9Mitsubishi Pajero Sport9757522158
10u00a0Mazda BT-508567472312