Nation’s number one auto brand says it’s not concerned by an all-new rival for Australia’s top-selling vehicle
Toyota says it’s not concerned by the prospect of Kia’s first ute, which will arrive Down Under in 2025 – the same year Australia’s top-selling vehicle for the past seven years, the Toyota HiLux, is expected to be renewed.
The Japanese giant has been Australia’s favourite auto brand for the past 26 years, thanks in large part to the HiLux, which was the first (and remains the only) ute to become the nation’s best-selling vehicle in 2016, and has been the top-seller in the Northern Territory for 22 years, Queensland for 16 years and Western Australia for 15 years.
But the current Toyota HiLux, released in 2015, is facing increasing pressure from both existing rivals led by the Ford Ranger and an influx of all-new additions to Australia’s lucrative ute market, which is now among the world’s four biggest.
Leading the charge will be the all-new TK-series Kia ute, which has been in development since 2020 and will be aimed directly at the HiLux when it arrives in Australia in 2025, armed with a ladder frame, diesel power, 3500kg towing and (1000kg payload capacities, multiple body styles and a full range of variants to suit everyone from tradies to weekend warriors.
Kia Australia has publicly stated its plan to gain a 10 per cent share of Australia’s booming pick-up market, which last year totalled almost 230,000 sales, and that would equate to at least 20,000 ute sales a year putting the Kia TK among the nation’s five most popular utes alongside the HiLux, Ranger, Mitsubishi Triton and Isuzu D-MAX.
In turn, the ute would propel Kia, which overtook its more established Hyundai sister brand last year, past 100,000-plus annual sales and could see it leapfrog Mazda (which achieved only 95,700 sales last year) into second place behind Toyota in Australia’s overall auto sales race.
However, despite the current HiLux’s age and its reduced but increasing rate of supply from Thailand, Toyota Australia’s outspoken sales and marketing chief Sean Hanley says he’s not at all worried by the arrival of a new competitor from Korea, which is likely to be accompanied by keen pricing and a seven-year warranty.
“They [Kia] are a very formidable competitor and they’re going very well in the Australian market, as is Toyota and as are a lot of competitors,” Hanley told carsales.
“We never take our position as market leader for granted. We often say that market leadership is not a right, it’s earned, and we’ve built up a lot of trust.
“We know we’ve got to work hard, we’ve got to bring products to market that work for the market and that are desirable and affordable in the market
“We’ve got a lot of great product coming. HiLux is a wonderful ute. Last month it did exceptionally well, particularly the 4×4.
“We stand by the products and we stand by what Toyota stands for and that’s quality, durability, reliability.”
Asked specifically if he was concerned by losing ute market share to Kia, Hanley said: “I’m not concerned at all. I’m supremely confident…
“We’re not scared and we’re not concerned. We’re confident that we will bring product to market what the consumer desires.
“Are we complacent about it? No. Are we respectful of our competitors?
100 per cent we are.
“Kia’s doing well. I actually don’t know of any bad ones. The quality’s pretty good in the Australian market. It’s one of the most competitive markets in the world.
“So if you win in this market you’re doing OK because this is a super-competitive market.”
Before the new HiLux arrives in a couple of years, the current ute range will be topped by the new 2023 Toyota HiLux GR Sport (pictured here).
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Keyword: Toyota ‘not scared’ by Kia’s first ute