Ford Ranger take 3-Peat win in a tumultuous year for vehicle sales

Ford Australia's Ranger has taken the title for the bestselling vehicle in Australia 3 years in a row, with 56,555 of the popular ute sold in the brands' 100th year of operations in Australia. The result is no doubt supported by a bourgeoning range that now includes the Super Duty and Ranger PHEV variants and was about 5000 units clear of the next best seller, Toyota’s Rav4.

Despite being down on the prior year which saw sales in the vicinity of 62,000, it’s a strong indicator of consumer-driven design leading to sales performance. The result is even more impressive in a volatile year typified by changing market dynamics as Chinese manufacturers cement their market position, and efficiency laws start to drive change in vehicle design across the board.

Market penetration of Chinese manufactured vehicles increasing by 4 points to 18%, putting Chinese manufactured vehicles in 3^rd place behind Thailand. BYD led the charge with over 50,000 units delivered.

BYD's strong growth could be attributed to the success of the Shark - Image Credit Mad Matt 4WD

Japan remained the largest source country, likely driven by Toyota’s leading position in vehicle deliveries by brand, with 239,863 deliveries representing 19.3% of the total market.

Interestingly, there has been a significant increase in deliveries of PHEV vehicles which represent the strongest growth by drivetrain across the board, with a doubling of units to 53,484 units.

I see this likely due to a combination of consumer demand and an increase of available models, as traditional ICE and hybrid manufacturers edge their way into the market.

2026 will be an interesting year. I suspect more brand entries from China, including more budget friendly EV’s to bolster fledgling consumer demand.

But all this stuff is boring as batshit. If I could have one wish, it's that someone see’s the PHEV opportunity and decides to double down on building exciting cars. BMW’s M5 sent me for a six last year as my favourite media loan for 2025 – and it proves you can have your cake and eat it too.

BMW's M5 proves a PHEV drivetrain can be efficient and exciting.

It’s nice to dream…