SUV sales soar despite fuel costs
August 1, 2008 by George Skentzos
Soaring fuel prices have certainly forced buyers to reconsider their priorities when looking at a new car; however Toyota has labelled the small car dash a simplistic approach to the problem.
The company’s senior executive director sales and marketing David Buttner has said that these generalisations ignore the strong growth in sales of sports-utility vehicles (SUV).
The sales of these SUV’s has increased by 13.2 percent for this year alone – making it the fastest growing segment at a rate of more than treble the overall market.
“Rising fuel prices have definitely accelerated demand for fuel-efficient four-cylinder cars,” Mr Buttner said. “However, families and other SUV buyers are focused on requirements such as space, comfort, performance and reliability – as well as fuel efficiency,”
Australian motorists purchased almost 110,000 SUV’s in the first half of this year – with 20 out of 23 manufacturers improving over the same period last year – second only to the small-car total of 123,000.
Toyota leads this sales list with its Prado, Kluger and RAV4 models which take the top three positions in a segment which offers over 50 models.
SUV SALES BY MODEL 2008 (TO 30 JUNE)
1. Toyota Prado 7,854 +4.8%
2. Toyota Kluger 7,513 +278.7%
3. Toyota RAV4 7,684 +6.7%
4. Ford Territory 7,266 -19.4%
5. Subaru Forester 6,910 +13.2%
6. Toyota LandCruiser 6,407 +48.0%
SUV SALES BY MARQUE 2008 (TO 30 JUNE)
MARQUE SALES +/- MARKET SHARE
1. Toyota 29,458 +40.2% 26.9%
2. Nissan 10,852 +0.2% 9.9%
3. Subaru 10,707 +6.2% 9.8%
4. Ford 8,417 -20.2% 7.7%
5. Mitsubishi 7,841 +0.7% 7.1%
SEGMENT 109,669 +13.2%
Print it: 
BOSSCR, i do see your point about an additional test for SUV drivers, but then wouldn’t we need additioanl tests for real 4×4s (much poorer dymanics) too? What about sedans with over 300HP? aren’t they a handfull in the wet or gravel roads too? What about one tonne utes or commercial vans? neither of these come close to any SUVs in terms of vehicle dynamics.
As for Jed Bulmer… well of course he’ll be happy to blame Toyota. Especially as he’s the first journo to roll a car during COTY testing. That probably says as much about him as the car. Given the choice of sitting behind the wheel in the Kluger or in a passenger seat next to him… i’d take the Kluger.
Totally agree with Lazybones,todays so called SUVs are nothing more than wagons with lift kits,and women still cant drive them any better than the Camry Wagon they stepped out of!
oooooooo Lazybones………Poor baby the day will come when the kids leave and you can get that sports car,Dingo just doesn’t understand car enthusiasts requirements in cars “handling”,he likes us to remember the other facets of motoring such as reliability ,much better to have than driving a sponge!
Bavarian Missile, as GO Klugger has pointed out;
“In someways i understand why people like yourself are fixated on handling because in reality, that’s pretty much about the last post standing for GM and Ford.Here is a reality check for you as harsh as it maybe and that is, if companies want to survive then they must provide the goods that people want and if they don’t – they’ll go ar*e up … PERIOD !! ”
Also another reason the likes of you keep bringing it up, is because handling is a matter horses for course, and can not be quantified and therefore truly proven!!
If you could derive a numerical value for the handling of a car, (and you never will be, because it all is objective) you would have seen that Lexus blows all over BMW, and Toyota over GM and FORD also!!
And a true enthusiast knows, there is much more to cars, then just taking to a racetrack.
By the sound of things, Bavarian missile you would love a Morgan!! Because even the president of the UK Morgan club reckons, half the fun of Morgans, is having to fix them up on the side of the road, half way through your trips!!
Tomas79
If you really would like a Toyota Tundra there are thousands of them they can’t sell in the US and Toyota is cutting production. They are sitting in the car yards for an average of 100 days (Detroit News On Line -2/08/08).
If I got a Kluger… which would be straight after my labotomy – I would get the number plate Fleddie!
Grumble grumble grumble,just about to go wash the M3 and again I have sit Tomas down in the corner and shake my finger at him!
The point is Tomas handling IS one of the attributes required when you buy a car to enjoy! One I guess you wouldn’t have gotten get as you drive a Prado with a lift kit!
Not all of us have to put a good handling car around a track day to enjoy it,the pure pleasure of driving a long hard cornering drive is how well something drives without feeling like a Sydney Ferry . Pushing a car hard in to a corner fast without a twitch coming from its chassis is one of the most pleasurable things one can do on a Sunday arvo.
”Quote If you could derive a numerical value for the handling of a car, (and you never will be, because it all is objective) you would have seen that Lexus blows all over BMW, and Toyota over GM and FORD also!”"
hahaha thats gold Tomas ,BMW have some of the best chassis in the world,Lexus can only wish to be as good one day,any jero will tell you that the Chassis under a M3 will outdo the new try hard M3 beater,Lexus IS-F .As far as Toyota out doing GM and Ford ,yeah right,I love to see the TRD try nailing an F6 in handling or performance for that matter.
Love a Morgan ,naaaaaaaaa,but would an Aston they too are renown for being unreliable,care factor,zero!
Toyota’s are good for basic transport for mindless drones but not much else. So what if Toyota sell more cars than Holden & Ford combined, so what if they score better in user surveys that only Toyota driver’s seem to care about. They are souless transport. They will get you from A to B just fine. But don’t offer anything special like the Falcons & the Commodores do hence why the passionate enthusiasts drive them. Also the cars that offered that special something like the celica and the MR2 were discontinued and the only thing on the horizon of any hope is the joint venture with Subaru, they couldn’t even think of it or develop it themselves. And the lexus’ were a direct copy of the BMW 3 series and are still no where near as good. Thats my opinion and the Toyotasexuals will come on to have their whinge saying I’m a bogan but I won’t give a toss.
Glen, I went by ADR figures according to ADR combined figures the Pajero GLX consumes 13.5 L per 100 km, Prado GXL 13.1L per 100 kms, while Territory TS 12.8 L per 100 kms, under a liter difference. The kerb weight of the three cars are Pajero 2085kg, Prado 2110kg & Territory 2080kg. There is no point in comparing the 2WD Territory to the 4WD Prado & Pajero. From these figures I’d rather buy a real, reliable SUV like the Prado.
Jetski is an idiot a Territory consumes twice as much as a corolla ( a Corolla consumes 6L per 100kms).
Then compare it to a AWD Kluger which consumes 11.0L per 100 km and the kerb weight is 1920kg
You can actually put a figure on the handling of a car infact their are a number of measurements used all of which give an indication as to how well a car perfoms and handles.. The main ones are G-Forces n Drag Co-Efficient oh and of course the Power to Weight Ratio all of which integral parts of Physics and Automotive Desig/Engineering
Handling mightn’t be important to you Tomas But I’d Love to see you try to drive from one side of Australia to the other without having to negotiate a corner let alone sweeping bend [Blue Mountains] at speed as the majority of are highways
Sure you can hit the brakes to slow down and take the corner at a more pedestrian speed [at or below 60Km/h] but then you would be putting an enormous strain on the chassis the brakes the steering and suspension as the car tries to wipe off all the terminal velocity you created by driving at 100Km/h..
Its much more efficient and easier on the car to keep the momentum going change gears and float through the corner that way there is less abrupt braking or heavy acceleration required thats why car enthusiasts look for the apex
Remember there are no perfectly dead straight lines in nature as curves are more flowing and keep the energy moving
Having said that a Soft Roader like the Kluger isn’t exaclty a Performance Car or to be driven at high speeds [100Km/h+]; whereas a BMW M3 is.. and are therefore; engineered differently.
Other factors that can effect a cars performance are its height width track and wheelbase
Kenny, Using the ADR figures for fuel consumption is like using the red book for resale prices, its rubbish. You can only use real world figures because each person drives differently. If you were buying a vehicle for an off-road adventure, yep steer clear of the territory it was never meant to be an off-roader. But the vast majority of those Pajero’s and Prado’s never see dirt.
Go Klugger SPOT ON as Always!!
Wheelnut Says: “You can actually put a figure on the handling of a car infact their are a number of measurements used all of which give an indication as to how well a car perfoms and handles.. The main ones are G-Forces n Drag Co-Efficient oh and of course the Power to Weight Ratio all of which integral parts of Physics and Automotive Desig/Engineering “
True, but it is impossible to combine all these characteristics into a single value without being objective. As in to show that car A has 2.34 units better handling then car B.
So it’s all horse for courses!!
Jetski Says:” The Ford Territory has been the bench mark as far as how drive dynamics associate with SUV’s.Every auto Jurno.. will tell you the same shit moron.Grow up and give credit where its due.And as Far as I know from a good source, the new territory will leave Toyota for dead.. “
Well why is Ford Territory the only SUV, in the above article to have dropped in sales by nearly 20%, while all the others have actually increased in sales??! And before you start blaming the age of the vehicle, note that the number one selling Toyota Prado (LC120) has been sold in Australia, virtually unchanged (apart from the D4D diesel ) since 2003, a year before the territory has been released. Of course the Australian public aren’t going to be suckered into spending their hard earned on a shoddy built car, with a substandard reliability ( with reference to the drive.com.au’s, leaked report).
As for swerving to avoid roos, all the 4wd magazines I’m subscribed to state, that it is far safer to actually hit the animal, then to swerve to avoid it.Cruel it might be, but it still is the safer option!! Off course, it’s better for you if drive a full size 4wd with a bulbar, then a road car, or a small cross over. But better yet, it’s common sense to drive at a reasonable speed for that area, so you have enough time to react and stop, as threat becomes visible!!
Wrong Dingo,Im yet to find a jero that states that the chassis under the Lexus is superior to the M3,perhaps you can enlighten me,also have read and seen numerous reviews where the M3 beats the IS-F around the track why cause its not as well balanced as the M3 ,needs to go on a diet!
Um and in regard to comparing a Prado to an M3 thats plain dumb Dingo.Not to mention they dont make tow bars for M3s!The point being made was that BMW will beat Lexus with handling and their tuned chassis.The Prado was only mentioned cause Tomas couldn’t say what a great handling car feels like when he drives a 4×4!
Oh and when we finally get rid of you for good Dingo do us all a favor and take the skirt holder with you!I could handle 10 TPs to listening to you both ramble on to each other!
Tomas It is possible to combine all those characteristics into one value… Its called setting a Lap Time.
Because if the car is engineered and set up properly with the right amount of drive grip and able to deliver the right amount of power when its needed as well as have the stopping power to match.. it will be able to perform and handle far better than its counterparts.
I realise that there are those who arent interested in lap times or 0-100 times etc However by doing a couple of laps at reasonably high speed in a controlled environment around a track with a mixture of undulations off-camber corners hairpins and sweeping bends you are able to get a better indication as to what you and your car are capable of compared to another car.. not to mention where its and your short cumings are..
Territory although requiring an update is a SUPERIOR tow vehicle to Kluger.
The critical factor in toeing is tow ball weight and the second gen Kluger is still useless in this regard as its tow ball weight spec is no better than most small FWD passenger cars which limits it to a box trailer or trailer camper.
U can attempt to tow a medium pop top or bigger with the Kluger but u risk bending it due to the lower torsional rigidity of the monoque chassis used.
Territory is also monoque in construction but far stronger with more than double the tow ball weight limit and therefore is capable of towing vans far beyond the legal weight limit. This is partly due to the sturdy falcon floor pan.
Once again the physical strength of construction is superior in the Ford.
The Territory tends to be over engineered where as usual the Toyota is made just strong enough or in the case of the Kluger not strong enough for a task traditionally assigned to this type of vehicle.
Unfortunately many Grey nomads have bought the Kluger to have their expectations dashed by the low tow ball weight this vehicle can handle.
After all u wouldn’t tow a medium or larger van with a Camry so how could u expect a Kluger to accomplish the job given the shared platform and identical tow ball weights.
Well dingo obviously the ISO aren’t good enough. That telemetry data has never been made public, plus what could they get from it? All they could get would be air/fuel mixture, throttle and brake position, revs, and where the computer decided to send the brake pressures to each corner. Unless Toyota are running a full data acquissition system such as shock pods, g sensor, lambda sensors, their analysis would be very basic.
Thats it Realcars seems the grey nomads are also responsible for buying the rest in the Toyota range too!
“In relation to towing Kluger is very much a pretend SUV”.
That may well be the case BM but u have to go Landcruiser or Prado for a decent tow vehicle in the Toyota range.
Territory possibly still comes up triumphs compared to Prado despite the full chassis of the Prado i.e light truck construction but overall I believe Territory would be easier to live with i.e more car like to drive. Driving a truck soon gets pretty boring.LOL.
They should call the Kluger the SUV u have when your not having an SUV.LOL.
“Don’t be fooled Safe-T-Cell is nothing more than an advertising sound bite”.
Agree with that, Landcruiser the pick in them. Prado is more suitable for the in a city dirt road drive on the weekend.Having owned a couple of Landcruisers bought for carrying excess children {better alternative than a Tarago back in the mid 90s} and towing, both were great vehicles in what they were purchased for! Luckly we also had a few GTs to turn to on the weekend when need a little excitement hehehe!
Yeah, owned the first of the twin cam 80 series for similar reasons but got sick of all the clunking and banging(manual)
although it could tow anything.
Was too tiring to drive once the aura had worn off.
I felt at one with the other brothers in their big rigs though.LOL.
Wheelnut Says:
“Tomas it is possible to combine all those characteristics into one value… Its called setting a Lap Time.”
Wheelnut, once again there is too many factors effecting a laptime, to attribute it’s value purely to the handling of the vehicle. E.g power of the car, power delivery, tyre pressure, tyre type, weather, the experience of the driver on the track,etc… not to mention some tracks will favour some cars better then others.
Bavarian Missile Says: “Thats it Realcars seems the grey nomads are also responsible for buying the rest in the Toyota range too! “
In other words “Toyota; the wise mans choice!!”
Realcars, if the Territory is such a great car, how come it’s the only SUV above that has declined in sales by 20% since last year, againts it’s significantly older competition?Also how come it stinks so much on the leaked quality report?!!
Bavarian Missile Says: “Agree with that, Landcruiser the pick in them. Prado is more suitable for the in a city dirt road drive on the weekend.”
Come on, it’s not like you know enough about 4wds to tell the difference, let alone pick what one is suited for what!! By the way, the Prado is a Landcruiser 120!!
Bavarian Missile Says: “Having owned a couple of Landcruisers bought for carrying excess children”
What a hypocrite, and you been going on about turag tractor types for weeks!!
If I remember correctly, Bavarian Missile also used her Landcruiser for big towing jobs.
Just telling it the way it is in relation to towing Thomas69!
Kluger hasn’t the tow ball weight spec to handle more than a smallish camper trailer.
Another correction the Prado is actually based on the Hilux!
not the Landcruiser which is an entirely different animal.
Remember Prado should be really named Hilux Prado rather than Landcruiser Prado.
Sadly another Toyota marketing exercise to make u believe u are driving with the big boys.LOL.
Glen the reason I quoted the ADR was because of many factors affecting real world consumption figures (style of driving etc). ADR figures may not be accurate, but variation of ADR to real world figures for Territory or Prado or Pajero would be pretty much the same. What my argument is why would you buy a territory for the similar price & running costs you could buy a real 4WD like the Prado or Pajero.
The Kluger consumes less petrol than a Territory, if I am not going off road I’d rather buy a Kluger than a territory.
To those who suggested special licences for 300kw utes, 4×4s, vans etc…. I agree whole heartedly. How hard would it be to sit a commercial vehicle test/ 4×4 – soft roader test/ performance car test….? Sure the things you learn and perform in a test might be lost after 10 years, but if you have only ever driven auto corollas, then you shouldnt be allowed to jump into a patrol/prado/cruiser or a GT3/C63AMG/M3/W427/F6/ TRD Aurion (hahaha)……..
At the end of the day, its not going to happen.
Realcars, are you retarded or something?
There is a number of different landcruisers series available at the moment, i never said the prado is based on any of them!!
This just shows how little you know about 4wds, let alone Landcruisers!!
The new Hilux uses an redesigned and scaled up version of it’s previous platform, while the Toyota tacoma (U.S Hilux look alike) uses the Prado’s (land cruiser 120) platform!!
So does the Toyota FJ Cuiser, and Lexus GX.
It only shares the D4d engine(which by the way has been significantly tuned up for the prado) and some minor suspension components with the Hilux.
Actually the Prado is built on the same line as the Lexus GX, which explains it’s significantly higher build and material quality when compared to the 100 series.
The Prado is landcruiser 120, an all new design, actually designed in a french design studio. By the way, the Landcruiser 76 is a first generation Prado, that was never sold in Australia, and recently it has been face lifted, strengthed and re-engined, and resold as a 5-door LC76 in austrlia!!
I’m all for extra licensing (preferably a 4wd course) for 4wd, and higher power/usual vehicles!!
U would buy a Territory because it is actually good to drive and can tow just about anything!
Pretty straight forward really.
Toyota fuel consumption figures supplied by the manufacturer.LOL.
Nearly the same as the figures quoted for Aurion.
Gee, Toyota must have reinvented the laws of physics while we weren’t looking.LOL.
Kluger drives similar but has limited towing ability and like the Territory isn’t a “real off roader”.
In my book that puts the Territory in front in terms of practicality and especially if u need a tow vehicle.
Hey Go Kluger,
Just got myself a copy of the Top Gear Australia magazine.
They say that the BMW 7 series has knocked of the lexus LS design!!
realcars Says:
“U would buy a Territory because it is actually good to drive and can tow just about anything!”
well, that’s why there is a such a down turn in their sales!!
Sorry to shatter the web of deception weaved by Toyota THoma69 but the Prado is based on the Hilux chassis,floorpan and running gear.
As I have already mentioned Hilux Prado is the accurate name plate rather than Landcruiser Prado as the Prado shares nothing in common with Landcruiser other than a name.
If your local Toyota mechanic tells u otherwise u better look elsewhere for service.LOL.
Amazing how most Toyota buyers know nothing about cars.
Then again is it?
Unfortunately many people don’t learn about Tow ball weight until they buy their Kluger and try and marry it up with a decent size van!
If dimpled rear quarter panels on your new Kluger don’t worry u then go ahead.LOL. Oh what a feeling!
Thomas69 do u feel ripped off that u now know u are driving a Hilux derivative?
Realcars, once agian you’re absolutely pulling sh!te out of your arse!! Do some research you idiot!! Hilux and Prado aren’t the same platform you idiot!! And i still don’t know what land cruiser you are referring to that the Prado should be based on?!! It’s an all new design!! the previous Prado, the 2nd generation Prado, was the Land cruiser 90!!
This one is all new!! In Europe, Prado is known simply as Landcruiser, while the 100/200 series, is landcruiser v8.
The French contributed to styling only of the Hilux Prado.
Who else could have come up with that Gaudy chrome grill?LOL.
Realcars, unlike you who bought an au falcon ute, just cos your old man said falcons were tops, i actually did research all the cars in the range carefully…
You talk utter rubish, no wonder you bought an AU falcon ute!!
I’d have a hilux over it any day thanks!!
Seriously, for a guy that regularly comments on toyota’s on here, you sure don’t know the first thing!!
Might be all new body panels and all new in the sense that it is based on the current generation Hilux rather than the previous one but it is essentially a Hilux and not a Landcruiser in any sense as the tittle would suggest.
Sorry to rain on your parade anyway Hilux isn’t all that bad is it?LOL.
Please Realcars enlighten me what a landcruiser is?!!
U done your research that well that u bought a Hilux Prado.LoL.
U listened to dopey salesman and the Toyota spin like most gullible fools.
P.S I am not the one that paid 65k for a Hilux.LOL.
GEE u are a slow learner Thomas69!
How many ways must one put it to get the message through?
I don’t give a stuff if u believe me or not!
Realcars, you are the idiot that paid 5K for a AU ute!!
Hey Tomas79…is there a problem? You seem to be perpetually angry. :(
I know a lot about Toyota Thomas69 that is why I wouldn’t currently buy one.
Actually I paid 10k for my Egas Au ute three years ago.
What a ripoff.LoL
In hindsight I should have paid 65k for a Hilux Prado.LOL.
Seriously, Realcars read up on hilux and Prado’s when you get a chance!! So you don’t embarrass yourself so bad!!
Realcars, in your druged f*cked mind, hows the Tacome related to the hilux??
I’ve only had two cab/savs tonight I swear!
That’s right keep telling yourself it’s a Landcruiser and when u wake up tomorrow it will all seem just like a bad dream.LOL.
U must be right why else would they call it a Landcruiser.LOL.