Toyota has delivered its best sales in five years, boosted by a record tally for the popular HiLux which topped the sales charts as Australia’s best-selling vehicle for the second year in a row.
The industry-leading performance by the “unbreakable” HiLux, supported by record deliveries of Toyota’s SUVs, enabled Toyota to grow its sales and market share and retain its position as the best-selling automotive brand in Australia.
Toyota’s sales growth was a key factor in the overall industry achieving an all-time high of almost 1.19 million new-vehicle sales.
Local motorists bought 216,566 vehicles from Toyota dealers last year – the highest tally since 2012 and more than 100,000 deliveries ahead of any other brand.
Toyota’s sales increase was 6,956 vehicles or 3.3 per cent compared with the total industry’s growth of 10,983 vehicles or 0.9 per cent.
It was the 21st time Toyota has led the Australian new-vehicle market, including the past 15 years in a row, and the 13th time the brand has sold more than 200,000 vehicles locally in a calendar year.
Toyota’s share of the national market rose to 18.2 per cent (from 17.8 per cent), making it the only brand to reach double figures.
Toyota sold more passenger cars, sports-utility vehicles (SUVs) and light-commercial vehicles (LCVs) than any other brand and topped the sales charts in every state and territory.
HiLux, with 47,093 sales, broke its previous record of 42,956 vehicles set in 2008 and cemented its place in automotive history as the only vehicle other than a passenger car to be Australia’s best-selling vehicle. It also notched up a 20th consecutive year as Australia’s top-selling commercial vehicle.
The ever-green Toyota Corolla – which celebrated 50 years in local showrooms last year – was Australia’s best-selling passenger car for the fifth year in a row with 37,353 sales.
Camry – with the launch of a new-generation car in November – was Australia’s best-selling mid-size car for the 24th year in a row with 23,620 deliveries.
Other segment leaders for Toyota were LandCruiser Prado, LandCruiser wagon, HiAce van and HiAce bus.
Toyota Australia’s president Matthew Callachor (pictured) said the industry’s overall improvement last year reflected the gains by Toyota.
“Toyota and the industry have increased sales in each of the past three years and, in 2017, we both achieved all-time records for SUVs and LCVs,” Mr Callachor said.
“In SUVs, Toyota passed 70,000 sales for the first time and our market share rose 1.1 percentage points while the industry exceeded 465,000 sales. Toyota’s RAV4 had its fifth consecutive year of record sales, passing 20,000 deliveries for the first time.
“Records also tumbled for LCVs with Toyota reaching 66,034 sales and the industry exceeding 236,600 sales. Led by HiLux, Toyota increased its market share in this category by almost a full percentage point.”
Mr Callachor said SUVs outsold passenger cars across the industry for the first time last year, but the strongest percentage growth in the past two years had occurred in LCVs.
“SUV sales have grown 14 per cent during this period while sales of LCVs have grown almost 18.9 per cent. This surge in demand for vehicles like HiLux can be viewed as an extension of the popularity of SUVs.
“They’re high-riding vehicles that can take you on your adventures while delivering car-like features and comfort,” Mr Callachor said.
Last year was the fifth time that HiLux sales have exceeded 40,000 vehicles. It included a new 4×4 record for the nameplate of 35,297 vehicles, a gain of 13.6 per cent compared with the previous high of 31,076 set in 2016.
In the 4×2 segment, HiLux had its best year since 2012 with 11,796 deliveries – an increase of 7.0 per cent on the previous year.
HiLux was the top-selling vehicle in Western Australia for the 10th year in a row, in Queensland for the 11th straight year and in the Northern Territory for a remarkable 17th successive year.
This year, both HiLux and the LandCruiser family – LandCruiser 70 series, 200 series and Prado – will reach cumulative sales of one million vehicles in Australia.
In the past decade, Toyota has sold in excess of 2.1 million vehicles in Australia -975,000 sales ahead of any other brand.
This equates to more than 260 extra Toyota vehicles being sold every single day throughout that period.