Forget unbreakable, the Toyota HiLux is downright untouchable in race with Ford Ranger as new-car sales boom in Australia

The new-car market has again proved itself immune to financial headwinds, with the Toyota HiLux leading a sales boom that saw the market record its best ever May result.

The ageing HiLux finished well ahead of its closest rival, the all-new Ford Ranger, as Toyota swamped the new-car market, recording a massive 18,340 total sales.

Across the board, some 105,694 new vehicles were delivered – making it the best May sales result on record – with Toyota responsible for more than 17 per cent of those sales.

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Finishing the month in second place was Mazda, which recorded 8475 sales, while Korean cousins Hyundai and Kia again swapped places, with the former recording 7078 sales and latter shifting 7000 vehicles. Ford rounded out the top five, with 6251 sales – of which 4110 belonged to the Ranger, or more than 65 per cent of Ford's total.

MG finished in sixth place (4828 sales), followed by Mitsubishi (4583), Tesla (4476), Subaru (3564) and Isuzu (3481).

In terms of individual models, the HiLux was the country's best-selling vehicle in May, with 5772 sales, followed by the Ford Ranger (4110), the Tesla Model Y (3178), the Toyota RAV4 (2616) and the MG ZS (2502).

The Isuzu D-Max, Toyota LandCruiser (when the LC300's sales are combined with the 70 Series), Hyundai i30, Hyundai Tucson and Mitsubishi Outlander rounded out the top 10 in May.

According to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), the mammoth May result is an indication that supply is beginning to free up again, with the organisation's chief suggesting vehicles ordered many months ago are now starting to flow into the country.

"This result is a signal that we are starting to see some improvement in supply," FCAI Chief Executive, Tony Weber, said. "However, not all issues are resolved, and our members continue to work with their customers to improve vehicle delivery times.

"A large proportion of vehicles delivered this month would have been ordered during 2022.

"Since then, we have seen a shift in economic conditions with a focus on rising cost pressures for households and businesses. Nevertheless, reports from our members indicate that demand remains firm."

Demand for electrified vehicles also shows no sign of fading, with BEVs making up 7.7 percent of sales last month, or 15.6 percent once hybrids and plug-in hybrids are included.