The list of Australia's best-selling cars in 2005 is almost unrecognisable today
Yesterday at 01:47 PM
Australians came close to buying one million new cars in 2005. But it’s what we were buying that is really surprising…
Twenty years ago, Australians were on track to buy over one million new cars for the first time ever. But a slowdown in the last quarter saw sales drop by 2.5 per cent resulting in a year end number of 988,269 (we would wait another two years before eclipsing the magic million mark – 1,049,982 – in 2007).
Today, of course, Australians are buying vehicles in ever increasing record numbers. In data just released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, in 2024 Australians bought a total of 1,237,297 new vehicles, around 250,000 more than we bought in 2005.
RELATED: The best (and worst) cars of 2004
The biggest change, however, is in the types of cars Australians are buying.
A quick scan of the top 10 selling cars of 2024 will come as no surprise, the list dominated by dual-cab utes and SUVs, with just a lone 'traditional' passenger car (Toyota Corolla) making the grade.
While passenger car sales continue to slide (down 3.8 per cent year-on-year with sales of just over 200,000), at the other end of the spectrum, sales of SUVs continue their untrammelled ascent, up 2.4 per cent year-on-year to 695,566.
And as for dual-cabs and pick-ups, total sales last year of 239,830 accounted for around 19.6 per cent of the new car market.
It's a far car from 20 years ago when passenger cars still ruled the new car roost, occupying six of the top 10 spots, with two dual-cabs, an old school ute and just a single homegrown SUV making up the top 10.
Scanning further down the 2005 best-sellers' list to include in the top 20 provides the little hint that a seismic shift was underway in the new car landscape.
If anything, looking at buying trends in 2005 would suggest we would all be driving compact hatchbacks in 2025. As Drive reported in January 2006, following the release of 2005 sales data, "Australians are increasingly turning their backs on large cars in favour of smaller ones…”
"Led by the still-dominant Toyota Corolla (which accounts for almost one in four small-car sales) and Holden's Astra and Mazda 3, small cars now represent 21.8 per cent of new vehicle sales. These gains in the small-car market came at the expense of large cars, where sales fell 15.6 per cent last year – the lowest sales in 12 years."
Sure, sales of SUVs rose by 4.2 per cent, but total segment sales of 180,292 were dwarfed by the 608,804 new passenger cars that found homes in 2005.
Similarly, sales of dual cab utes rose only marginally, up 3 per cent for a total of 142,262.
So what were the cars Australians were buying in 2005?
1 Holden Commodore – 66,794
2 Ford Falcon – 53,080
3 Toyota Corolla – 46,415
4 Toyota Camry – 34,492
(22,446 and 12,046)
5 Holden Astra – 33,070
6 Mazda 3 – 32,570
7 Toyota HiLux – 31,369
8 Holden Rodeo – 24,582
9 Ford Territory – 23,454
10 Holden Utility – 20,202
11 Ford Falcon Ute – 18,384
12 Nissan Pulsar – 17,643
13 Honda Accord – 17,579
14 Hyundai Getz – 16,455
15 Toyota LandCruiser Prado – 15,335
16 Toyota Echo – 15,180
17 Mazda 6 – 14,783
18 Mitsubishi Lancer – 13,641
19 Hyundai Elantra – 13,353
20 Subaru Forester – 12,320
The post The list of Australia’s best-selling cars in 2005 is almost unrecognisable today appeared first on Drive.
