In September 2026, the Australian new car market delivered a total of 108,778 units, up 1.8% year-on-year. The electrification wave continues to sweep the market: Battery electric vehicles accounted for 26,287 units, 24.2% share, surpassing gasoline vehicles for the second consecutive month (26,018 units, down 36.2% year-on-year), with pure electric sales surging 117.7% year-on-year; Plug-in hybrids increased by 122.7% to 10,072 units, with BYD and Tesla emerging as the biggest winners. Ford Ranger reclaims the sales championship.

Pickup market shrinks, traditional diesel models decline across the board

By model count, 24 pickup models with sales in the Australian market totaled 18,406 units in September, a decrease of approximately 13% compared to the same period last year; the light commercial vehicle sector overall declined 13.2%, forming a sharp contrast with the 6.1% growing SUV market.

Pickups bear heavy load and towing tasks, electrification naturally lags behind passenger cars, but under high oil prices and transformation pressure, traditional diesel models have declined across the board for several consecutive months: Isuzu D-Max sold 1,866 units (-6.2%), Mitsubishi Triton 1,202 units (-30.6%), Great Wall Cannon 852 units (-31.6%), Mazda BT-50 843 units (-22.5%), Kia Tasman 355 units (-56.0%), Nissan Navara 338 units (-34.9%), Volkswagen Amarok 244 units (-42.7%), KGM Musso 85 units (-38.4%), Jeep Gladiator only 5 units (-80%); Toyota Land Cruiser 70 plummeted 96.1% year-on-year to 36 units.

Ranger returns to the top spot, top positions set

The top spot in September's Australian pickup sales was Ford Ranger, with 5,062 units delivered in September, up 4.0% year-on-year, doubling month-on-month compared to 2,440 units in August, while surpassing Toyota RAV4 (4,624 units) and Tesla Model Y (4,476 units), becoming the best-selling model in the entire market. The second and third positions were Toyota HiLux (4,455 units, -11.7%) and Isuzu D-Max (1,866 units, -6.2%) respectively; BYD Shark 6 ranked fourth with 1,492 units, Mitsubishi Triton ranked fifth with 1,202 units, Great Wall Cannon and Mazda BT-50 ranked sixth and seventh with 852 units and 843 units respectively.

In terms of annual cumulative figures, Ranger is 37,858 units, HiLux is 36,616 units, Model Y follows closely with 35,930 units, the gap between the three is around 2,000 units, and the annual sales championship is still in suspense.

Chinese brands grow against the trend, full-size pickup differentiation

The brands rising against the trend are almost exclusively Chinese brands. BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid pickup ranking fourth on the pickup list delivered 1,492 units, up 25.1% year-on-year; Maxus LDV T60 sold 375 units (+68.9%), the higher positioned large pickup Terron 9 sold 239 units (+195.1%), Foton Tunland V7 sold 129 units, JAC T9 sold 58 units (-47.3%). Chinese brand pickups totaled 3,145 units, accounting for about 17% of that month's pickup market; vehicles made in China delivered in Australia in September totaled 42,358 units (+63.8%), while supply volume from Thailand, the traditional pickup production base, declined 15.2% year-on-year.

Full-size market differentiation is obvious: Chevrolet Silverado sold 154 units (-1.3%), Silverado HD sold 139 units (-26.5%), RAM 1500 sold 145 units (-38.3%), RAM 2500/3500 sold 68 units (+61.9%) and 32 units respectively; Ford F-150 sold 128 units (surge year-on-year due to low base), Toyota Tundra Hybrid sold 104 units (+92.6%).

Final notes: September data outlines a more complex picture than "electrification wins": Ranger briefly "recovered" thanks to supply restoration, but could not hide the continuous shrinkage of the traditional pickup market dominated by diesel; Chinese brands are the main growth pole, but growth does not rely entirely on electrification—Shark 6 grew 25.1% year-on-year in plug-in hybrid identity, while Chinese models like Maxus T60, Terron 9 that grew against the trend are actually diesel vehicles; the true factors determining sales remain price, product power, and model freshness. Pickup electrification direction is clear, but far from the decisive stage.