Toyota HiLux Deliveries in Australia Reach 750,000

Australia’s most popular pickup, the Toyota HiLux, posts three-quarters of a million sales in the country since its debut in 1971.

Toyota Sales and Marketing Executive Director Matthew Callachor says the 750,000-unit milestone was achieved after surging demand last year lifted the pickup to its third-best annual result of 40,646.

“HiLux is an incredible Australian success story – the nation's best-selling commercial vehicle for the past 22 years in a row and the top-selling (4-wheel-drive) vehicle for the past eight,” Callachor says in a statement.

It also has been Australia's best-selling vehicle outright on many occasions, including five consecutive months last year and six overall – the only pickup to have achieved that landmark.

“If every Australian who has bought a HiLux decided to meet in one place, they would create our sixth-largest city,” Callachor says. “If they brought a friend, the city would be substantially bigger than Adelaide.”

Callachor says HiLux has carved a reputation for toughness and reliability and is respected for being a rugged workhorse and being equally at home as a spacious vehicle for families.

The first HiLux arrived in Australia in 1971 as a 2-wheel-drive vehicle through then-national distributor, Thiess Toyota.

HiLux 4WD variants have been even more popular since arriving in 1980. Cumulative 4WD sales have topped 400,000 units compared with almost 350,000 of the 4x2 variants.

The popularity of HiLux in Australia has gained pace over the years. Annual sales surpassed 20,000 units for the first time in 1998, topped 30,000 in 2005 and exceeded 40,000 in 2007.