SUVs and Utes Globally Unstoppable
Toyota RAV4 SUV
This year is shaping up to be an exciting and interesting year for car sales in Australia. Currently, the Toyota Hilux is selling well above even the second biggest seller: the Ford Ranger. With over 4,500 sales in March, Toyota and there owners are loving life. Ford Ranger during the same period sold 3721 units. But take a look at this list and you’ll see that of the top ten models sold in Australia six of them are utes and SUVs.
- Toyota Hilux
- Ford Ranger
- Mitsubishi Triton
- Mazda3
- Toyota Corolla
- Mazda CX-5
- Hyundai i30
- Mitsubishi ASX
- Mitsubishi Outlander
- Kia Cerato
What about in the rest of the world? Well, it continues to be true that more SUV and utes are being purchased than any other type of car in Australia and around the world. In fact, the world’s most popular ute was not the Hilux but the Ford F-series (light truck). Sorry Toyota lovers, but Ford takes you out globally!! With well over 1 million F-series sold last year, that’s very impressive! In New Zealand, Kiwis have a taste for the Ford Ranger more so than the Hilux, too. But this isn’t about Ford being better than Toyota – just saying…
Ford F-Series
Now for redemption time for me, so as to get back on side with Toyota fans. Last year the world’s most popular SUV was the Toyota RAV4. It was also the most popular SUV in New Zealand. Maybe all the rental car companies that love the robust and reliable nature of the RAV4 make up a big swag of those RAV4 global sales numbers. The roads between Christchurch and Milford Sound are teeming with RAV4s!
So why do you think that the SUV and utes are growing so much in popularity here and around the world? It could well be because a decade or so ago utes and SUVs were vehicles that had a bit of a hard nose to them, with a more practical bent to them. Some utes were tremendously good at carrying loads but hideously uncomfortable to travel any longer distances with. Today your SUV and ute still has huge practical merit but they are way more comfortable and sophisticated. And who can argue with the SUVs ability to accommodate seven occupants? It gets a bit difficult putting seven seats inside a stationwagon with room to spare; and just totally impossible trying to fit seven seats inside a sedan.
With these sort of stats rolling off car sales yards, one could easily say that SUVs and utes are very much taking over the world, and this regardless of rising fuel prices.
Level 2, 9 Help Street
Wal Pywell says:
One might question whether 99% of owners need, or even want- seven seats.
There seems to be little written about the towing ability. How about some tests on these vehicles towing a family caravan of around two tonnes or so.
May 21st, 2019 at 9:19 pm