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The new-car industry's soft start to 2025 continued in February, with key models like the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger recording sales falls, electric vehicles stalling and the entire market dropping almost 10 per cent on the same time last year.
The prophesied hard landing for Australia's new car market seems to be coming true, with today's news following a difficult January in which has seen the 2025 year-to-date total fall 6.7 per cent compared to the first two months of 2024.
All up, 94,993 vehicles were sold in February, compared to 105,023 sold in February 2024. Year to date, the market stands at 181,797 sales, compared to the 194,805 recorded in the first two months of 2024.
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Surprisingly, it's some of the country's most (usually) bullet-proof segments that are proving hardest hit, with the 4X4 ute market falling 7.9 percent year on year, and 9.7 percent year to date, with some of the segment's biggest names among the biggest losers.
Toyota HiLux 4x4 sales plummeted 20 percent compared to the same month last year, for example, while the Ford Ranger 4X4 was down 20.7 per cent in February. The 4X4 versions of Volkswagen Amarok (-35.7 per cent) Nissan Navara (-45.7 per cent) and Isuzu D-Max (-34.1 per cent) also struggled in February.
The 4X2 ute segment makes for even harder reading, falling 33 per cent month on month in February.
The falling market still propelled the Ford Ranger to number two on the best-seller list in February, with its 4040 sales only bettered by the Toyota RAV4's 4405 sales. Spots three, four and five were occupied by the Toyota HiLux (3616), Toyota LandCruiser Prado (2723) and the Mitsubishi Outlander (2385). The BYD Shark 6, Isuzu D-Max, Mazda CX-5, Kia Sportage and Hyundai Kona held spots six through 10 in February.
With three vehicles inside the top 5, it's little wonder Toyota leads the market in sales, with 18,832 sales in February. Next came Mazda with 8797 units, followed by Kia (6707), Ford (6337) and Mitsubishi (6119).
Still, the industry is pointing its fingers at a softening demand in electric vehicle sales as the real culprit. The industry said it was "increasingly concerned at the rate of total battery electric vehicle sales".
"We are now two months into the Government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, and while the supply of battery electric vehicles has risen dramatically, consumer demand has fallen by 37 per cent this year compared with the first two months of 2024," said FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber.
"The easy part is to set aspirational targets but without consumers demanding EVs, the NVES will not succeed. It is time for the Government to consider the realities faced by consumers."
Top selling cars February, 2025
| Vehicle | Sales | Change Year on Year |
| Toyota RAV4 | 4405 | +54.9% |
| Ford Ranger | 4040 | -24.9% |
| Toyota HiLux | 3616 | -17.9% |
| Toyota Prado | 2723 | +167.5% |
| Mitsubisbi Outlander | 2385 | +8% |
| BYD Shark 6 | 2026 | NA |
| Isuzu D-Max | 2022 | -31.2% |
| Mazda CX-5 | 1932 | +17.7% |
| Kia Sportage | 1927 | +42.7% |
| Hyundai Kona | 1024 | +84.5% |
Top selling car brands 2025
| Brand | Sales | Change Year on Year |
| Toyota | 37,256 | -0.1% |
| Mazda | 17,119 | +10.3% |
| Ford | 13,167 | -5.3% |
| Kia | 12,427 | +4.9% |
| Mitsubishi | 11,800 | -4.2% |
| Hyundai | 11,473 | -3.3% |
| MG | 7479 | -11.8% |
| GWM | 7186 | +9.2% |
| Nissan | 6594 | -29.2% |
| Subaru | 6435 | -6.3% |
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