Top-selling cars for 2020 (and the biggest losers)

Toyota dominates... again

Of the 50 manufacturers selling cars on the Australian market, Toyota was number one by a long shot. The Japanese giant recorded its 18th consecutive year as Australia’s most popular automotive brand – 22.3 per cent of all vehicles sold in Australia last year had a Toyota badge. It topped seven vehicle categories, and close to a quarter of all Toyotas sold were electric hybrid models. 

Toyota sales more than doubled those of second-placed Mazda, whose sales slumped 12 per cent, despite introducing the CX-30 small SUV to its line-up at the start of 2020. Hyundai retained its third placing despite a dramatic 24.7 per cent sales dip – not helped by the loss of the popular Accent hatch from its line-up. 

Ford overtook Mitsubishi as the fourth-most popular car brand in 2020, thanks largely to the popularity of its Ranger ute, which accounted for 69 per cent of all Ford sales. At the same time, the dwindling popularity of Mitsubishi’s Triton ute helped drag down the Japanese manufacturer’s sales by almost 30 per cent. 

The winners

Australia’s love affair with SUVs continued apace last year, with high-riding wagons making up 49.6 per cent of overall sales, 4 per cent more than in 2019. This came at the expense of traditional passenger vehicles (sedans, wagons, hatchbacks, MPVs) which now make up just 24.2 per cent of all sales. It’s a seismic shift in consumer preferences since 2010 when passenger cars accounted for 57 per cent of the market, and SUVs just 23 per cent. 

Light commercial vehicles also sold well last year as did dual-cab utes. Although total sales of 4x4 utes were down, they increased their share of the shrinking market, and were the second-most popular vehicle type in 2020 behind medium SUVs. Sales of mid-size commercial vans grew by 16 per cent, largely due to the increase in delivery services across the country during lockdowns.  

Australians are slowly warming to electrified vehicles, with sales of battery electric models growing by 16 per cent off a low base, while sales of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles increased by 18 per cent. Hybrid sales, led largely by market leader Toyota, soared by 94 per cent in 2020. This appeared to come at the expense of diesel and petrol vehicles which declined by 12.5 and 20 per cent respectively. Watch that trend grow this year as brands like Kia, Hyundai, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota introduce new hybrid models.  

Chinese manufacturers continued their upward trajectory in 2020. Of the 13 brands that recorded sales increases in 2020, four were from China –  MG Motor, LDV, Haval and Great Wall.   

Among other brands to do well in a grim year, Korea’s SsangYong recorded 68.4 per cent sales growth thanks to the success of its Musso ute and Korando SUV, while American pick-up truck specialist RAM lifted by 16 per cent. 

The losers

The biggest loser last year was, unsurprisingly, Holden. Parent company General Motors pulled the pin on the Australian brand in early 2020 after years of sales declines. Although there are still some Holdens at dealers, sales dropped by 61 per cent in 2020. 

French brands fared poorly too. Renault’s sales dropped 20 per cent, Peugeot was 13 per cent lower and Citroen sales almost halved. Incredibly, Ferrari sold more cars here in 2020 than Citroen, despite suffering a 20 per cent drop in sales, in line with poor performance across the supercar and ultra-luxury category. 

Of the mainstream brands, Honda had the biggest slide, declining by 34 per cent after the company discontinued its City light sedan. Jaguar had the most dramatic decline among premium brands, sliding by 41.7 per cent.