FORD RANGER IMAGE THAT AUSSIES NEED TO SEE
Over the span of just ten years, the car of choice for Australians has undergone a staggering transformation, growing by nearly a metre in length.
A striking visual shared on social media starkly contrasts the top-selling cars in Australia from 2011-12 to 2024, revealing a significant shift in consumer preferences.
In the earlier period, the Mazda 3 held the top position with a modest length of 4.46 meters.
Jumping ahead to 2024, the Ford Ranger has now claimed the top spot, boasting a substantial length of 5.28 meters, nearly a meter longer than the Mazda 3.
The Ford Ranger also stands 33 centimetres taller than its predecessor.
'Have Australians' vehicle requirements really changed that much in a bit over a decade?' the social media user asked, along with the image.
Responses to the post were mixed, with some social media users lamenting the lack of small car on Australian roads and others defending the larger vehicles.
'I drive a Mazda 3. I'm always the smallest car in the car park. And it's so hard to see over these big 4WDs. My only negative about the Mazda3 as I discovered this week, I get very little in the boot,' one user said.
Another wrote: 'Maybe small econoboxes were popular but then owners saw the fatality rate of small cars vs big trucks and decided if they can't beat them.'
A third added: 'The Mazda 3 is an excellent car, always has been. It makes me sad that so much of the new car market is dominated by similar-looking dual cabs and SUVs, I miss the days of the family sedan or station wagon to be honest, especially the latter.'
A fourth said: 'These larger vehicles cause almost three times the number of injuries per 100 accidents compared to smaller cars. '
Many people believed that the instant asset tax write-off played a significant role in the move towards larger vehicles.
Paul Maric, co-founder of CarExpert.com.au explained some of the major factors driving the change into larger utes.
'My question is whether people feel like they need to get a bigger car because the cars around them are bigger, because if you drive a Mazda 3 today you'll feel very intimidated by Ford Rangers and other SUVs,' he told News.com.au
'It kind of feels like the change has been driven by these dual-cab utes. People want to get into SUVs, all the people that have small hatchbacks are pressured into buying something larger [for safety reasons]. In most people's minds bigger is safer.'
'It's ironic today that with cost of living going through the roof people are still buying large vehicles that use a lot of fuel.'
The insights come as the federal government prepares to debate its new vehicle efficiency standard in parliament that is designed to encourage automakers to bring more low-emission cars to the country from next year and cut vehicle pollution.
FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said vehicle sales during the month of April were surprisingly strong in a challenging economy, with more than 97,000 new models sold – 15,000 more than in April last year.
The figures also showed Australians bought more than 401,000 new cars in the first four months of 2024, setting a new record.
'April's result highlights strong consumer confidence in purchasing new vehicles, surpassing our expectations, and is a testament to consumer choice and the industry's resilience in a challenging economic landscape,' Mr Weber said.
SUVs represented the most popular style of vehicle in Australia, making up 55 per cent of all new cars sold, followed by light commercial vehicles, such as utes and vans, with 22 per cent of sales.
An SUV also stole the title of best-selling vehicle during the month, with Toyota's RAV4 displacing the Ford Ranger ute for top spot.
Only two passenger vehicles, the Toyota Corolla and Toyota Camry, made the top 10 list in April, with all other places were filled by SUVs and utes.
But the figures revealed hybrid vehicles were also soaring and represented 18.3 per cent of all new vehicles sold compared to 7.5 per cent last year.
Australian motorists bought more than 16,000 hybrid vehicles and 1300 plug-in hybrid cars last month, according to the FCAI, which represented an increase of more than 130 per cent compared to 2023.
Mr Weber said the trend showed drivers were increasingly considering the fuel efficiency and environmental impact of the cars they bought.
'We are witnessing a shift in consumer preferences towards more sustainable and efficient vehicles,' he said.
Electric vehicles did not enjoy similar growth during April, with sales falling from 9.5 per cent of the market in March to 6.4 per cent during April.
EV sales were also down compared to last year, with consumers buying 336 fewer models than the same time in 2023.
Electric car brand Tesla still scored a spot among the top 10 automakers after making more than 2000 sales during the month, but Toyota again claimed top spot with more than 77,000 sales.
Read more 2024-05-06T23:46:22Z dg43tfdfdgfd