Utes now rule roost
TOP SELLERS
QUEENSLANDERS h a v e gone mad for utes, new sales figures show.
Four of the top 10 selling vehicles in Queensland this year are one- tonners and the Toyota HiLux, the state’s best- selling vehicle for the past 11 years, is leading the charge.
August sales figures show that the HiLux remains in front by a country mile, but the Ford Ranger, Mitsubishi Triton and Isuzu D- Max all make up the top 10. Nissan’s Navara narrowly misses out.
While some of the popularity can be traced to the state’s large mining and farming industries, there is also growing evidence that more people are buying utes for lifestyle reasons. Many are using their utes as workhorses during the week and playthings on weekends.
Makers have responded by throwing more family- friendly features at their trucks, adding leather seats, better stereos and technology such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
They are no longer bare bones workhorses, with hoseout vinyl floors.
Safety has also been no- tably upgraded to take into account their new role as family vehicles.
Some utes can now slam on the brakes if they sense an impending accident, while all have the full complement of airbags and driver safety aids such as stability control.
The sales figures also show that Queenslanders have taken Toyota to their hearts. More than one in five newcar buyers in the state opt for a Toyota.
The Corolla hatchback is number two on the sales charts, while the Prado offroader also makes the top 10.
Queenslanders buy more Toyotas per head than other states. Today’s carpark is a far cry from a decade ago, when the locally built Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon ruled the roost.
The traditional sedan, for decades the default choice for Queensland families, has been all but forgotten as buy- 1 Toyota HiLux 2 Toyota Corolla 3 Ford Ranger 4 Mitsubishi Triton 5 Hyundai i30 6 Mazda3 7 Mazda CX- 5 8 Isuzu D- Max 9 Toyota Prado 10 Mitsubishi ASX ers flock to utes and SUVs.
This year, we have bought more sports cars than large sedans and last month the Ford Mustang outsold the Commodore by almost two to one.
TOMORROW: Hyundai Kona review inside our Motoring liftout