FORD RANGER IS AUSTRALIA’S BEST-SELLING CAR FOR 2023

After six years as bridesmaid, Ford’s Ranger is finally Australia’s best-selling new car. Beating out the Toyota HiLux for the first time (in combined 4x2 and 4x4 annual sales) to become Australia’s #1 seller in 2023, the Ranger also set a new single-year sales record for the model. The last time a Ford was Australia’s #1 vehicle was back in 1995, when the Falcon took the laurels.

“There are so many people who play a role in the success of a vehicle,” said Andrew Birkic, President and CEO, Ford Australia. “For the Ranger, that’s our team of designers, engineers and everyone at Ford who pours their passion into making the vehicle what it is, our dealers who are passionate about serving their customers and communities, and ultimately our Ranger customers whose passion for their vehicle is what gets us up in the morning.

“This number one spot is thanks to the combined passion of all these people. Without any one of them, Ranger wouldn’t be where it is today.”

The final tally for 2023 was 63,356 sales for the Ranger and 61,111 sales for the HiLux. For the Ranger, that was a 33 per cent increase on 2022 numbers, while HiLux sales fell by almost five per cent.

Long Way to the Top

While the Ranger name dates back to the 1980s, the version most Aussies are familiar with has been around since late 2006, when it replaced the Courier in Ford Australia’s light commercial range. PJ and PK Series Rangers were reasonable performers for Ford, but it was the launch of the PX Series in 2011 that saw the model became a much more important part of Ford’s product mix in Australia. As evidence of that, Ranger sales almost equalled that of the Falcon in 2012.

Following the demise of the Falcon in 2016, the Ranger became the flagbearer for Ford in Australia. And while the Ranger has never been manufactured here, much of the design and engineering work on the PX and current PY Series was undertaken at Ford facilities in Australia.

“Since it debuted in 2011, Ranger has redefined the ute segment globally - it’s transformed a work vehicle into one that can be used by just about anyone for anything,” Birkic added. “We see our customers take it to the most extreme off-road locations and then see them parking in tight city streets and unloading their groceries and kids. A Ranger is a do everything, go everywhere vehicle.”