Isuzu’s overall Australian sales in 2023 was also its best year on record, with 45,341 vehicles sold.
While Ford was busy celebrating for its Ranger to recent overtake the Hilux for the top spot in Australia’s sales chart last year, there was actually one more rather impressive success story happening on the final spot of that podium which went by largely unreported. Such is because coming quietly in third (for the first-time ever) was Isuzu’s D-Max, which in turn served as just the cherry on top of what has actually been a blindingly good sales year for the Japanese automaker.
In spite of having just two-models to its name — the D-Max pickup and the MU-X 7-seat SUV — Isuzu has staggeringly managed to deliver an all-time record of 45,341 vehicles down under, besting the brand’s 2022 results of 35,323 by a staggering 10,018 vehicles. This sales record also incidentally puts the Japanese automaker as Australia’s 10th best selling automotive marque for the second year in a row, with its overall market share in Oz currently standing at 3.7%.
This momentous sales success comes also nicely coincides with Isuzu Australia’s other big milestones, with the automaker having recently only marked its 300,000th vehicle delivery as it celebrated its 15-year anniversary down under. Over the last decade and a half, an accumulative total of 311,641 vehicles — comprising of 225,145 D-Max pickups and 86,496 MU-X SUVs have been sold and delivered to customers in Oz.
Now breaking down Isuzu’s 2023 sales figures further, 31,202 D-Max utes were sold and delivered over the last 12 months. This represents an increase of 28.2% compared with 2022’s results, and the first time the brand has delivered over 30,000 utes in a calendar year.
With a market share of 12.2%, the automaker claims for close to one-in-eight Australians that purchased a 4×4 pickup in 2023 chose the D-Max, with the nameplate comfortably securing 3rd position in the ever-evolving ‘Pick Up/Cab Chassis 4X4’ segment. Within the ‘Pick Up/Cab Chassis 4X2’ segment meanwhile, the D-Max took the runner-up position as Australia’s 2nd best-selling 4X2 pickup, with the 5,759 D-Max 4X2s delivered last year accounting for a market share of 18.8%.
Seeing similar levels of growth in the market on the other hand with an increase of 28.7% year-on-year, the MU-X proved popular with Australians as 14,139 examples found new homes in driveways nationwide last year . Reflective of this, one-in-nine large-SUV buyers with a budget up to $70,000 (RM 218,000) chose this large Isuzu SUV, with it recording a ‘SUV Large <$70K’ segment market share of 11.2% to chart as the 3rd best-selling SUV out of 23 contenders in the hotly contested segment. Overall, the MU-X was Australia’s 22nd best-selling vehicle.
Reflective of the historic sales result, Isuzu UTE Australia’s Managing Director, Junta Matsui, said the result was the culmination of “strategic problem solving and resolve,” crediting the accomplishment to those behind the scenes.
“We appreciate that it hasn’t been the easiest of years for our two-car brand and the industry overall, with a number of logistical challenges effecting deliveries throughout the year. But with some strategic problem solving and hard work we were able to work around these challenges and deliver customer orders as quickly as possible.”
“Without a doubt, this historic sales record would not have been possible if it wasn’t for all the people behind the brand, from our head-office, regional, and of course the dealer network staff. Everyone has remained focused throughout the year and this record result reflects their dedication.”
“That all said, we wouldn’t be in this top-10 position if it wasn’t for the customers that chose our brand. So, my heartfelt gratitude goes out to everyone that purchased an Isuzu UTE product over the years—over 300,000 customers have since 2008. And to those who are waiting for their new Isuzu to be delivered, thank you for your patience, we sincerely look forward to welcoming you to the Isuzu UTE family as soon as possible.”
Reflective of the choice made by the thousands of Australian motorists who picked an Isuzu D-Max or MU-X as their preferred pickup or SUV, Isuzu’s annual sales in Australia results align with the sentiment shared by not only consumers, but the Australian motoring media, with both nameplates picking up a string of accolades. Most recently, Wheels Magazine awarded the D-Max and MU-X top-honours in their inaugural ‘Best Value 4×4 Ute’ and ‘Best Value Off-Road Large SUV’ awards. With the awards analysing real-world operating costs to determine which nameplate would be the pick of the bunch, these two accolades support the surging popularity of the D-Max and MU-X, as two of Australia’s best value vehicles on sale locally.
“With the D-Max and MU-X recognised as two of Australia’s most-popular and best-value vehicles on sale today, along with healthy levels of vehicle stock landing at dealers locally, we are optimistic that this positive trajectory will continue well into 2024 and beyond,” concluded Junta Matsui.
