If you drive a Toyota HiLux then you are driving the most popular car in the Northern Territory.
That’s according to statistics from the Motor Trades Association on last years car sales which found that Toyota was the top manufacturer, dominating 41.8 per cent of the new car market share.
Motor Trade Association CEO Darrell Jacobs says there were 1,529 Toyota HiLux’s purchased, out of the 9,849 new vehicles bought in total in the Territory.
“We know Territorians love their utes and 2022’s new car sales again reaffirmed this,” he says.
Another finding was that electric vehicle sales increased by 385 per cent in 2022.
Mr Jacobs says while it was only a small proportion of the market, the NT also embraced electric vehicles in 2022 at a higher rate than ever before.
“Without question more and more motorists are making the conscious decision to reduce their emissions but this is also being complemented by an increase in new electric vehicle models and manufacturers entering the Australian market at competitive prices,” he says.
“This underscores how local automotive workers and businesses need to be adequately prepared to sell, service and repair EV’s which they are working on for the first time.
“The sales data also suggests how hybrids will continue to play an important role in our decarbonisation efforts, outselling electric vehicles in the NT last year by a factor of more than ten to one.”
Mr Jacobs says similar to other retail industries, consumer demand for new vehicles never faltered throughout 2022.
“Local dealerships have new cars available for sale and Territorians can find something they like by shopping around.
“Interest rate increases and inflationary pressures have hit everybody’s hip-pocket but households also saved their disposable income throughout the COVID pandemic which many have used to buy a new vehicle.”
Top 5 new cars in NT
Toyota Hilux 4X4: 981 purchased
Toyota Hilux 4X2: 548 purchased
Toyota Prado: 533 purchased
Toyota RAV4: 468 purchased
Toyota Corolla: 334 purchased
Top 5 manufacturers in NT by market share
Toyota: 41.8%
Mitsubishi: 7.2%
Kia: 6.6%
Mazda: 6.4%
MG: 5.8%
