Old Toyota HiLux tops new Ford Ranger, Chinese utes outsell Mazda BT-50 and Nissan Navara

Chinese utes have outsold both the Mazda BT-50 and Nissan Navara for the first time in the monthly new-car sales race.

The Great Wall Motors Ute and LDV T60 had outsold the Nissan Navara for the past three months in a row – but September 2022 was the first time both Chinese utes have outsold both the Nissan Navara and Mazda BT-50 in a given month.

The shock result is not only a sign of stock shortages, but industry observers say it is an indication of changing buyer tastes in the ute market.

"The Japanese-branded utes are starting to price themselves out of reach, and the Chinese are swooping in to that $35,000 to $45,000 price point," said one multi-franchise dealer who represents Chinese and Japanese new-car brands, speaking to Drive on condition of anonymity.

"Customers come in, they see the value in the Chinese utes, all the features you get for the money, and the Chinese have stock or very short waiting times. For a lot of customers it's a no brainer."

The dealer agreed Chinese utes may not be as capable or as well-built as Japanese-branded utes – and reliability is still largely unproven for emerging Chinese brands – however the latest sales figures show an increasing number of customers are prepared to take the leap.

"There are some people who aren't ready to take a punt on a relatively unknown Chinese ute, but a lot of customers look at the price, look at the features, and look at the warranty, and then sign up."

Although the Great Wall Motors Ute and LDV T60 outsold the Nissan Navara and Mazda BT-50 in September 2022, they trail the familiar names in the year-to-date tally (see table below).

Meantime, the Toyota HiLux is on track to clock up its seventh annual win in a row in the Australian new-car sales race – and post back-to-back records – despite showing its age against newer competition.

The current generation Toyota HiLux was introduced in 2015 and is at least half a decade older than key rivals such as the new Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max, and Mazda BT-50.

Although it maintains a valid five-star safety rating, the Toyota HiLux lacks many of the technology features of its newer rivals.

Toyota has reported 49,796 HiLux sales so far this year – equal to its third highest annual result, with three months of the year yet to be counted.

Last year, a record 52,801 HiLux utes were sold in Australia. If sales continue at the current rate, the Toyota HiLux will beat its annual record by the end of October.

Ford dealers say supply of the new Ranger is still ramping up; a fresh shipment is due to dock within days.

However, due to the phase out of the old model and the phase in of the new model, the Toyota HiLux has established a commanding lead over the Ford Ranger (49,796 versus 32,115 year-to-date).

Here is a quick recap of the ute class, by the numbers.

Ute sales year-to-date (to the end of September 2022):

Ute sales in September 2022:

Source: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.