Big brand claws back sales position

In the first 11 months of 2025, Ford sold a total of 85,858 vehicles, whereas Mazda sold 84,361, placing the brands second and third place, respectively.

They’re behind Toyota which has been the best-selling carmaker in Australia for 25 consecutive years. It’s also strongly on the path to achieve it again this year.

Earlier this year Mazda was just ahead of Ford in terms of year-to-date sales, however, since September the Blue Oval has remained just a nick in front.

Mazda has historically been the second best-selling brand in Australia behind Toyota since 2015. In 2014 this title was taken by Holden which at the time was still selling the VF Commodore.

2024 was the first time the Blue Oval reclaimed the second-place position since 2008. It sold a total of 100,170 vehicles in that year, whereas Mazda sold a total of 95,987 vehicles over the same period.

The main reason for Ford’s recent success in the Australian new vehicle sales race is the Ranger ute. It has been the top-selling vehicle since 2023 when it overtook the Toyota HiLux.

The Ranger is also poised to be the best-selling vehicle in Australia again this year, just pipping the Toyota RAV4 at the post.

Ford’s next biggest seller Down Under is the Everest body-on-frame large SUV, which is related to the Ranger. Beyond this however, there aren’t any other heavy-hitters in terms of outright sales volume.

Sure, the Mustang is the best-selling sports car in Australia by a fair margin, but only 3712 examples have been sold so far this year. For context, a total of 51,035 Rangers and 24,012 Everests have been sold over the same period.

With Mazda on the flip side, every model besides the CX-60 and CX-80 have experienced a sales slide during 2025, so far.

Overlooking models like the Mazda 6, MX-30, CX-8 and CX-9 which have all been discontinued, the model with the sharpest sales decline is the Mazda 2 small hatch and sedan. A total of 3983 have been sold until November, which is down 19.5 per cent year-on-year.

Not far behind it is the related CX-3 small crossover SUV in terms of the sales decline. A total of 14,263 examples have been sold until November, which is down 16.4 per cent year-on-year.

Mazda’s best-seller in Australia is still the venerable CX-5 mid-size family SUV. It has held this position since 2019 when it took it from the Mazda 3 hatch and sedan.

The Japanese carmaker is set to launch a new-generation version of the CX-5 in Australia around mid-2026. It’s larger than before and offers a more tech-savvy interior, though the 2.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine carries over as the sole option at launch.

A hybrid powertrain will eventually become available, but this likely means people looking to save money on fuel and get an electrified option will need to look elsewhere.

Speaking with CarsGuide earlier this year, Mazda Australia Managing Director Vinesh Bhindi said the company will be happy with achieving similar sales as last year.

“We see a place with our portfolio that between 90[,000] and 100,000 is where we should be able to finish off the sales charts [this year], but that also depends on product cycles and age of product,” said Bhindi in November.

“So our dealers and we’ve structured ourselves so that there is the level of up and down.”