The Ford Ranger was Australia’s best-selling vehicle in 2023, overtaking the Toyota HiLux and marking the first time a Blue Oval vehicle has topped the charts here in 28 years.
Ford sold 63,356 Rangers in 2023, up 33 per cent over 2022. That figure consisted of 5095 4×2 vehicles (up 17.1 per cent) and 58,261 4×4 vehicles (up 35.1 per cent).
In contrast, Toyota sold 61,111 HiLux utes, down 5 per cent. An increase in 4×4 deliveries (48,995, up 3.5 per cent) wasn’t enough to offset a decline in 4×2 deliveries (12,116, down 29 per cent)
The Ranger ended the HiLux’s seven-year reign atop the sales charts.
Ford continues to be stronger in the more profitable 4×4 ute segment, where it offers variants like the high-performance Raptor and luxe Platinum that Toyota can’t yet match.
Meanwhile, Toyota consistently outperforms Ford in the 4×2 ute segment where fleet buyers account for a larger share of the customer base.
It was still a strong year overall for the HiLux, marking only the second time in its history it has surpassed 60,000 sales.
Ford and Toyota haven’t been immune from supply struggles, and Ford took the step of leasing its own vehicle carrier ship, Grand Quest, to get Rangers and Everests to Australian customers faster.
“There are so many people who play a role in the success of a vehicle. For Ranger, that’s our team of designers, engineers and everyone at Ford who pours their passion into making the vehicle what it is, our dealers who are passionate about serving their customers and communities, and ultimately our Ranger customers whose passion for their vehicle is what gets us up in the morning,” said Ford Australia CEO Andrew Birkic.
While the Ranger isn’t built here, it was designed and engineered here.
Ford was Australia’s third best-selling brand in 2023 with 87,800 sales, up 31.8 per cent over 2022. The Ranger and Everest account for the lion’s share of the brand’s sales here.
EF Falcon
Toyota, as usual, was far above everybody else. Even with a 6.8 per cent decline in sales, it still sold 215,240 vehicles – more than twice as many as Mazda, in second place with 100,008 sales.
The market overall set an all-time record, with 1,216,780 vehicles delivered. The previous record was set in 2017, with 1,189,116 vehicles delivered.
The last time a Ford sat atop the sales charts in Australia was in 1995 with the EF Falcon.
MORE: Everything Ford Ranger
MORE: Everything Toyota HiLux
