Toyota dominant in turbulent year where Kia rises to third, Chinese brands impress and EV sales climb 550%
The Toyota HiLux has turned in another emphatic performance as Australia’s most popular car, racking up a record-breaking 64,391 sales in 2022 to claim its seventh successive title as number one.
That was made easier by delays with the new model changeover for its closest rival, the Ford Ranger, which placed second overall among the top-selling cars with 47,479 registrations – part of an exclusive club that ushered in a Chinese car for the first time, the MG ZS (22,466).
But the continued success of Toyota’s ‘unbreakable’ ute is remarkable, marking the highest sales for a single model since 2005 – when the Aussie-built Holden Commodore reigned supreme – as well as the largest number of 4×4 ute sales (47,329) ever recorded Down Under.
The 17,062 4×2 HiLux sales were also the highest since 2008, helping Toyota reach 231,050 sales across its full model line-up – up 3.3 per cent on 2021 in a supply-constrained year in which the Japanese brand nonetheless dominated with its best result in 14 years (and its third-best in history).
Indeed, Toyota has now been unchallenged as market leader for the past two decades.
The Toyota Corolla (25,284) was the top-selling passenger car for the 10th year running and the RAV4 (34,845) was the number-one SUV for the third year in a row, making it a trifecta across the major categories with HiLux as the commercial leader.
Many of Toyota’s other big nameplates also held sway, with Prado (21,102) and LandCruiser 300 Series (13,152) holding firm in the large and upper-large SUV categories respectively, and HiAce (8748) the best-selling van in the land.
However, Camry (9538) was outgunned in the mid-size passenger car segment for the first time in almost three decades by the Tesla Model 3, with the US brand’s best-selling EV recording 10,877 sales last year.
Notably, Toyota – which is still without an electric car in its stable – also sold a mammoth 72,815 petrol-electric hybrid cars last year, accounting for almost a third (31.5%) of its total sales. Of those, the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid accounted for 26,547 units, representing 76.2 per cent of the mid-size SUV’s total sales.
Toyota Australia’s vice-president of sales, marketing and franchise operations Sean Hanley today thanked customers for not only their continued loyalty but their patience, given the supply constraints experienced throughout the year.
“We are extremely grateful, and humbled, to report that our order bank remains very strong due to the trust placed in our brand and our vehicle line-up by so many Australian companies and individuals,” Mr Hanley said.
“While it remains difficult to make predictions in this evolving supply situation, we can assure you that we will be working harder than ever to deliver more than 200,000 vehicles to our customers yet again in 2023.
“We recognise that Toyota is extremely fortunate that well-recognised nameplates like HiLux, Corolla and LandCruiser – all of which have more than half a century of heritage and success in Australia – continue to deliver on the unique motoring needs and requirements of diverse buyers across the country.
“We are also energised by the knowledge that electrification through our hybrid technology continues to lead the industry in supporting our customers with practical and affordable ways of substantially reducing their emissions today, and every day,” he said.
How the other major brands fared
As we reported throughout last year, there were major changes among other leading brands due to shifting allegiances and supply chain difficulties.
Despite a downturn in sales, Mazda held firm in its accustomed second position (95,718, -5.3%), while Kia rose from fifth to take a podium place for the first time with 78,330 sales – up 15.3 per cent on the previous year.
That saw it overtake its Korean stablemate Hyundai (73,345, +0.6%), which couldn’t match Kia’s unassailable growth and was left in fifth, while Mitsubishi (76,991, +13.7%) split them in fourth, helped by Triton (27,436) which was among the top four models in the marketplace (see table below).
Ford (66,628, -6.7%) finished the year in sixth place and should be a stronger force to be reckoned with in 2023 as supply improves for Ranger and the related Everest SUV, while Chinese brand MG rose to seventh with almost 50,000 sales (49,582, +27.1%) and played an important hand in China becoming the fourth most popular country of origin for new vehicles in Australia (behind Japan, Thailand and Korea).
The other main contributors were GWM/Haval (25,042, +36.2%) and LDV (16,269, +7.1%).
The seventh placegetter in 2021, Nissan, was nowhere to be seen among the top 10 brands last year, falling to 12th with 26,491 sales – a 35.8 per cent downturn as it, too, suffered from short supplies and model changeovers.
This aided Subaru (36,036, -2.6%) in eighth position and opened the door for Isuzu Ute, which finished ninth (35,323, -1.2%), while Volkswagen rounded out the top 10 with 30,946 sales, down 24.1 per cent on the previous year.
Mercedes-Benz Cars (26,801, -5.5%) held onto prestige market leadership, holding off BMW (22,696, -8.8%), while Tesla wasn’t far behind with 19,594 sales, split between the Model 3 (10,877) and Model Y (8717).
Tesla was, of course, the clear electric car market leader, accounting for 58.6 per cent of total EV sales in Australia, which grew to 33,410 units last year.
Looking at the bigger picture
That total EV sales figure represents a 549 per cent increase over the previous year and underscores the sharp trajectory the segment is enjoying as new models arrive and Australians take the plunge into electric car ownership.
That said, the 33K figure also represents just 3.1 per cent of the total new vehicle market, which last year found 3.0 per cent growth to end 2022 with 1,081,429 sales.
Petrol-engined vehicles remain the favoured choice, albeit slipping 5.0 per cent last year with 551,556 sales, while growth in diesel-engined vehicles continued with 361,366 sales (+4.2%).
Toyota’s 72,815 hybrid car sales made up a phenomenal 89 per cent of the total hybrid market (81,786, +16.1%). There were also 5937 plug-in hybrid sales recorded across all brands, and 15 hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles delivered to fleet customers.
SUVs accounted for 53.1 per cent of all new vehicle sales in Australia last year, with 574,632 (+8.1%) shifted through to buyers, while light commercials (mainly utes) were next with a 23.7 per cent share based on 256,382 sales (+1.2%).
Passenger cars accounted for 18.8 per cent of the market with 203,056 sales (-8.4%).
In handing down the results today, Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) chief executive Tony Weber described 2022 as “a year of resilience and recovery” amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, micro-processor shortages and bottlenecks stemming from global shopping issues.
He added that “2023 is shaping up as one of the most significant in recent history, particularly in terms of the development of policies that set the direction for the future decarbonisation of the light vehicle fleet”.
“As the peak representative body for vehicle distributors, FCAI has advocated for a fuel efficiency standard for many years,” he said.
“We are optimistic that the federal government will take action in 2023 and introduce a standard that achieves the policy outcomes that lead to emission reductions while enabling Australians to drive the vehicles that they need and want.”
Top 10 brands in 2022:
Toyota – 231,050
Mazda – 95,718
Kia – 78,330
Mitsubishi – 76,991
Hyundai – 73,345
Ford – 66,628
MG – 49,582
Subaru – 36,036
Isuzu Ute – 35,323
Volkswagen – 30,946
Top 10 vehicles in 2022:
Toyota HiLux – 64,391
Ford Ranger – 47,479
Toyota RAV4 – 34,845
Mitsubishi Triton – 27,436
Mazda CX-5 – 27,062
Toyota Corolla – 25,284
Toyota LandCruiser 70/300 Series – 24,542
Isuzu D-MAX – 24,336
MG ZS – 22,466
Hyundai i30 – 21,166
Keyword: VFACTS 2022: Toyota HiLux on top with record sales