VFACTs March 2025: Ranger and HiLux in front, but Shark still circling

It’s business as usual for the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux at the head of the new 4×4 sales charts for the month of March.

Ford got a total of 4687 new 4×4 Rangers out to customers for the month; and the HiLux continues to do well, with 3360 units finding new homes despite it being an ageing model.

The BYD Shark 6 again outsold established players in the ute segment such as the D-MAX, Triton, BT-50 and Navara, selling 2810 units for the month. This positions it as the fourth best-seller overall for the month and the sixth best-selling 4×4 year-to-date.

Toyota’s 250 Series Prado was again the best-selling 4×4 wagon with 2871 vehicles sold, ahead of the Ford Everest which finished the month with 2100 sales. These two popular wagons maintain third and fourth on the YTD sales charts for 2025.

While the Prado and HiLux continue to do well for Toyota, the hero of the brand, the LandCruiser 300 Series, continues on a slow burn with just 199 units leaving showrooms in March. The Nissan Patrol again outsold the 300 with 710 sales, and with updates to the big Nissan coming in May, it should continue to find new buyers before the Y63 lands later this year or early in 2026.

The other slow-moving Toyota is the Tundra pick-up, with just 85 units sold. However, it still outsold the F-150 which only moved 69 units – the Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500 sold 257 and 211 pieces respectively. The team at Ram Trucks Australia are looking to gain ground from this month with the arrival of its new Hurricane engine and the improved performance fuel efficiency it brings.

While the BYD Shark has turned the budget ute segment on its head as it competes with the biggest players in the segment. The GWM Cannon moved 827 utes, the LDV T60 397 and the JAC T9 just 117. The ageing SsangYong Musso continues to be our favourite at this end of the market and it soldiers on with 196 sales in March.

When you look at combined numbers of 4×4 and 4×2 models, the Ranger continues to lead the race over the HiLux – however, in between these two utes, the Toyota RAV4 is still selling strong, showing that Australians still prefer utes and SUVs for their new cars.