Why 2018 was the year of the ute again
Sales of 4x4 pick-up almost matched SUVs this yearWe said it last year and we’ll say it again this year, because 2018 really was another year for the humble ute.
Rather, it was another year for expensive, highly profitable 4x4 dual-cab utes, which form the vast majority of Ford Ranger sales and, to an increasing extent thanks to new premium additions like the Rogue and Rugged, those of Toyota’s all-conquering HiLux.
The HiLux will be Australia’s top-selling new vehicle – bar none – for the third consecutive year in 2018, followed for the second year in a row by the Ranger.
Throw in the Mitsubishi Triton, which is about to be facelifted, and to November this year there are three utes in the list of top 10 sellers this year, alongside four small cars (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Hyundai i30 and Volkswagen Golf) and three medium SUVs (Mazda CX-5, Nissan X-TRAIL and Hyundai Tucson).
Of course, SUV sales have been booming for years, last year overtaking those of passenger cars for the first time and this year accounting for 43 per cent of the total market.
That’s compared to 33 per cent for cars and 18 per cent for utes – up from 17 per cent last year (the rest were other light commercial vehicles and heavy commercial vehicles).
This year the ute market will easily top 200,000 sales, the HiLux will find more than 50,000 buyers, the Ranger should notch up over 40,000 sales and the Triton should manage 25,000 registrations.
But while the car market slumped another 15 per cent and SUV sales grew another 7.6 per cent in 2018, all the action is in 4x4 ute sales growth, which was right behind SUVs at 6.3 per cent.
Indeed, with 4x2 ute sales down 9.5 per cent, they now comprise less than eight per cent of the new pick-up market.
While the Ranger was Australia’s most popular 4x4 ute last year and recently upgraded for 2019, the HiLux looks set to retain that crown this year with 35,567 sales – 1681 more than the 4x4 Ranger with a month to go.
Well behind in third is the Triton with just over 20,000 sales, while the Holden Colorado sits in fourth with just under 15,000 sales.
The battle for fifth is between the Nissan Navara and Isuzu D-MAX with almost 12,000 sales apiece, ahead of the evergreen Toyota LC70 LandCruiser (9300), Volkswagen Amarok and Mazda BT-50 – both with more than 8000 sales.
Sitting in 10th is China’s new LDV T60 with almost 3000 sales, while at the other end of the market the Mercedes-Benz X-Class – just outside the top 10 with more than 1200 sales and a V6 version to come in January.
Increasing demand for pricey 4x4 utes in Australia is not just a result of new model action and bigger fleet discounts in a super competitive and highly lucrative market.
Twin-cab 4x4 utes are well suited to Aussie conditions, whether it’s the farm, the construction site or the suburbs, where these versatile and relatively good-value vehicles are asking families to make fewer compromises when it comes to safety, refinement, performance and comfort.
And with more utes to come from the likes of Hyundai, Kia, Jeep, RAM and SsangYong, the 4x4 ute boom doesn’t look like dying any time soon.
Top 10 4x4 utes to November 2018:
Toyota HiLux – 35,567
Ford Ranger – 33,886
Mitsubishi Triton – 20,249
Holden Colorado – 14,709
Nissan Navara – 11,738
Isuzu D-MAX – 11,645
Toyota LandCruiser – 9300
Volkswagen Amarok – 8293
Mazda BT-50 – 8080
LDV T60 – 2950
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