Ford Ranger on brink of ending Toyota HiLux seven-year winning streak

Ford is the closest it has been to topping the annual new-car sales charts in Australia in three decades, since the Ford Falcon last defeated the Holden Commodore in 1995.

The Ford Ranger – which has finished second to the Toyota HiLux for the past six years in a row – is within striking distance of the top step of the podium after closing the gap for the second month in a row.

The Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger have swapped the lead six times in the monthly sales race so far this year, and each has topped the charts on five individual months.

To the end of September, the Toyota HiLux was 1228 sales ahead of the Ford Ranger in the year-to-date tally.

Figures released last week by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries show the Toyota HiLux lead has diminished to 779 sales to the end of October.

If the Ford Ranger keeps tracking on its current sales trajectory, it will end the Toyota HiLux ute's seven-year winning streak.

As previously reported, Ford has rented a ship to freight Rangers from Thailand to Australia with clockwork reliability, as Toyota and others have struggled with shipping bottlenecks.

Both Toyota and Ford are still filling customer backorders for their most popular models, and their sales numbers so far this year are a reflection of how many vehicles can make it through production slowdowns and shipping bottlenecks.

When asked if the Toyota HiLux could maintain its lead and notch up an eighth annual victory in a row, the head of sales and marketing for Toyota, Sean Hanley, told Drive:

"It's a good race. Whoever can ship the most cars will win."

When asked if Ford's dedicated ship gave it an advantage, the high-ranking Toyota executive said:

"We have a good relationship with our shipping company."

When asked if Toyota Australia would be able to import extra stock for the final run to the finish line, Mr Hanley said:

"We won't be doing anything out of the ordinary except for delivering cars to customers who will be waiting for them.

"If we can get (stock) and we can get them into customers hands, we will do it."

When asked if it would be a loss of face for Toyota if the HiLux was knocked off its top sales spot, Mr Hanley said:

"I'm not contemplating that at the moment, but (the sales results today) are more of a reflection of vehicle deliveries rather than vehicle sales or orders taken.

"We know the harsh reality of our order bank right now ... and we know what our customer demand is.

"The demand is there. We just need to get the cars."