The Toyota HiLux has hit the ground running in the 2021 new 4X4 sales race according to January VFACTS sales data.
Toyota sold 3090 four-wheel drive HiLux utes in January 2021, easily making it the best-selling 4X4 in the country so far this year ahead of the Ford Ranger (2802 sales) and the Mitsubishi Triton (1723 sales).
The new Isuzu D-MAX continued to perform well, notching up 1416 sales in January, which was well ahead of the mechanically identical Mazda BT-50 (891 sales).
With so many rumours and innuendo regarding the impending demise of the TDV8-powered Toyota LandCruiser 200, the big 4X4 wagon climbed to the top of the 4X4 wagon sales charts once again with 1499 sales ahead of its smaller sibling the Toyota Prado (1359 sales).
Interestingly, in January 2021, every 4X4 ute in the Top 10 improved on its January 2020 sales result except for the Mitsubishi Triton, which was only down slightly on last year. And remember, January 2020 was prior to the sales slump brought on by of Covid-19!
The Top 5 4×4 wagons were also up on last year, with buyers flocking to Toyota dealers to pick up a 200 Series in January before stock runs out.
According to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), the new vehicle market in Australia was up 11.1 per cent on last year, with 79,666 new vehicles sold in January 2021 compared to 71,731 in January 2020.
“During the past three months sales had increased by 12.4 per cent compared to the corresponding period 12 months earlier,” FCAI chief executive, Tony Weber, said. “The January sales numbers are indicative of positive consumer confidence in the domestic economy. With attractive interest rates and a range of other economic indicators encouraging consumption, we hope to see this trend in new-vehicle purchasing continue through 2021.”
Sales of SUVs were up 17.4 per cent compared with last year and sales of light commercial vehicles were up 24.6 per cent, while sales of passenger cars were down 9.3 per cent on January 2020.
Toyota was the best-selling brand by a long shot with 21.1 per cent of the new vehicle market.
Top 10 4X4 Ute Sales
| Vehicle | January 2021 | December 2020 | 2021 year-to-date (+/- 2020) | 2020 year-to-date |
| 1. Toyota HiLux | 3090 | 4453 | 3090 (+34.6%) | 2296 |
| 2. Ford Ranger | 2802 | 3875 | 2802 (+14.6%) | 2446 |
| 3. Mitsubishi Triton | 1723 | 1388 | 1723 (-6.9%) | 1850 |
| 4. Isuzu D-MAX | 1416 | 1775 | 1416 (+199.4%) | 473 |
| 5. Mazda BT-50 | 891 | 889 | 891 (+121.1%) | 403 |
| 6. Toyota Land Cruiser PU-CC | 889 | 1327 | 889 (+74%) | 511 |
| 7. Nissan Navara | 1058 | 830 | 1058 (+35.2%) | 614 |
| 8. Volkswagen Amarok | 546 | 142 | 546 (+1.7%) | 537 |
| 9. LDV T-60 | 375 | 846 | 375 (+81.2%) | 207 |
| 10. GWM Ute | 277 | 109 | 277 (na) | 0 |
Top 5 4X4 Wagon Sales
| Vehicle | January 2021 | January 2020 | 2021 year-to-date (+/- 2020) | 2020 year-to-date |
| 1. Toyota LandCruiser | 1499 | 751 | 1499 (+99.6%) | 751 |
| 2. Toyota Prado | 1359 | 1230 | 1359 (+10.5%) | 1230 |
| 3. Isuzu MU-X | 541 | 440 | 541 (+23%) | 440 |
| 4. Ford Everest | 532 | 490 | 532 (+8.6%) | 490 |
| 5. Suzuki Jimny | 266 | 110 | 266 (+141.8%) | 110 |
