The top 10 best-selling vehicles in Australia last month were exclusively utes and SUVs, with not one passenger car - like a hatchback or sedan - making the list.
And the top of the table was dominated by a trio of pick-ups, with the Toyota HiLux making up ground as the best-selling model after being beaten by its arch rival, the Ford Ranger, for the last couple of months.
Overall, 97,251 vehicles were sold in Australia in March, which was a 3.9 per cent drop compared with March 2022.
Supply issues are still having an impact according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries Chief Executive Tony Weber, but congestion at ports around Australia are also causing major delays for most carmakers.
It didn't stop people buying electrified cars though. Battery electric vehicle sales were up by 19.5 per cent over last March and plug-in hybrid sales grew by 33.3 per cent.
The Tesla Model Y was the sole EV entrant in the top 10, grabbing fifth place with 1938 units sold.
But returning to the top of the table was the Toyota HiLux, with 4583 units (-27.5% against last March), just 75 sales ahead of the Ranger (4508, +52.2%). The Ford was top dog in January and February.
The Tesla Model Y was the sole EV entrant in the top 10, grabbing fifth place with 1938 units sold. (Image: Tom White)
Sitting behind them in third was the other force in the ute segment, Isuzu's D-Max, on 2789 (+14%), while its SUV sibling, the MU-X had an exceptional month with 1745 sales (+103%) to round out the top 10.
The Mitsubishi Outlander (2169, +34%) was the first SUV on the list in fourth, followed by the Model Y, and then a quad of mainstream SUVs.
Mazda's CX-5 (1917, -49%) held sixth place, followed by the Subaru Forester (1881, +162%) which is enjoying some of its best ever sales, the MG ZS (1844, +5.0%), and then the Toyota RAV4 (1778, -61.5%) which recorded a low placing given its form in the last few years, in ninth spot.
At the end of quarter one, 2023, the Ranger is the top seller when it comes to year-to-date sales, 13,730 units versus the HiLux's 12,653 - a 1077-unit gap.
Toyota remained the overall best-selling brand in March with 13,223 units, but that represents a 39.4 per cent drop compared to March 2022.
The MU-X had an exceptional month with 1745 sales (+103%) to round out the top 10. (image: Glen Sullivan)
Mazda (8243, -26.7%) held second place, followed by Ford (6485, +52.8%), Kia (6403, +5.8%) and Mitsubishi (5863, -34.9%).
Volkswagen was just kept out of the top 10, but it has gained some ground after a challenging couple of years, finding 3476 homes for 11th place.
Likewise Nissan has started to claw back some sales with a raft of new models. It shifted 3404 units for 12th place, just ahead of Chinese brand GWM on 3338 units.
Luxury Toyota LandCruiser or budget Mercedes...
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