Australia Top 50 Sales : 2023

The Toyota Hilux took over the #1 ranking in 2016 from the Corolla. The latter is currently 12th and the Hilux's position seemed unassailable. However, the Ford Ranger kept chipping away and in 2023 took over the top spot. That has got to hurt Toyota. 

One way Ford was able to come through to take the top model ranking was by leasing a 2,600-vehicle carrying ship to exclusively convey cars from Thailand to Australia. This shortened the trip by being a direct route but it had another advantage. By not visiting other ports on the way, it reduced time consuming biosecurity checks at ports on arrival. 

So that places the Ford Ranger pick up at the top. The Hilux is next and the Isuzu D-Max pickup makes it a 1-2-3 for that type of vehicle. Interestingly, no traditional car model made the top ten. 

I coloured the chart to define which area a model is associated with. Japan (yellow) is the most common with Korea and China (light brown) gaining more space each year. The USA has a smattering of models and only a few Euro brands make the list, MG's history saves some blushes. 

Data source: VFACTS.