SUVs accounted for 56.9 per cent of the Australian new-car market final yr, however not each SUV was a winner.
For each massively common mannequin just like the Toyota RAV4 or Ford Everest, there have been various significantly much less common autos.
For this train, we’ve checked out VFACTS gross sales knowledge for 2024, which incorporates most manufacturers in Australia with some exceptions being Mahindra, Polestar and Tesla.
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We’ve checked out which car was the least common in its respective VFACTS section, setting apart autos both discontinued in 2024 or launched throughout that yr, in addition to the unique ‘Higher Massive over $120,000’ section.
First, a caveat: we all know VFACTS segments don’t at all times make sense. A Toyota Prado is a big SUV, for instance, whereas its Lexus GX twin is an ‘higher giant SUV’; the Cupra Ateca additionally simply dropped down from being a medium SUV to a small SUV, regardless of its Skoda Karoq cousin remaining a mid-sizer.
For the sake of this text, nevertheless, we’re following this segmentation.
Gentle SUVs
Renault Captur
Captur deliveries skidded 82 per cent to only 169 items in 2024, although Renault confirmed final month it had run out of inventory – it delivered simply six Capturs in December 2024, for instance.
There have been evidently a handful nonetheless round at first of this yr although, because it has subsequently delivered 5 in January 2025. Nonetheless, the Captur is successfully on hiatus, forward of the launch of a facelifted mannequin within the second half of 2025.
Its Nissan Juke platform-mate was the subsequent worst vendor within the section in 2024. Nevertheless, Nissan shifted virtually 10 occasions as many, with a complete of 1674 examples reaching prospects – up 33.3 per cent on 2024.
MORE: The whole lot Renault Captur
Small SUVs underneath $45,000
Peugeot 2008
Peugeot delivered 346 2008s in Australia final yr, up 5.2 per cent on the yr earlier than. It was outsold by the Renault Arkana (431) and Jeep Compass (493).
Nevertheless, amongst autos that provide an electrical powertrain inside their lineup, the 2008 had a surprisingly excessive EV take charge.
207 examples or 59.8 per cent had been E-2008s, which has disappeared from native tariffs – at the least for now, as Peugeot performs coy with its electrical car (EV) plans for Australia.
The 2008 is now categorized for 2025 as a small SUV over $45,000, which can stop it from included in an identical article subsequent yr given the better array of low-volume SUVs in that section.
MORE: The whole lot Peugeot 2008
Small SUVs over $45,000
Genesis GV60
It could have been Genesis’ best-selling electrical car (EV) in 2024, and it might have outsold the model’s G70 and G80, however the GV60 was deeply unpopular with simply 70 reaching Australian consumers – a drop of 63.4 per cent on 2023.
It was outsold by the Alfa Romeo Tonale (246) and Renault Megane E-Tech (266).
Using the identical E-GMP platform because the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 – mystifyingly categorized as medium and huge SUVs regardless of being sized equally to one another – the GV60 was significantly much less common than both. Hyundai delivered 933 Ioniq 5s whereas Kia delivered 1785 EV6s.
MORE: The whole lot Genesis GV60
Medium SUVs underneath $60,000
Peugeot 3008
Déjà vu. Hey, that’s French! And right here’s one other French SUV on the backside of the gross sales charts, with Peugeot delivering simply 365 examples of its 3008, down 37.5 per cent.
It was outsold by the SsangYong Korando (427) and Skoda Karoq (752).
Peugeot was within the means of switching over to a new-generation car, which can clarify the drop. Nevertheless, the 3008 hasn’t exceeded 1000 annual deliveries in Australia since 2021.
The 3008 is one other car that’s made the leap to the next value section for 2025.
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Medium SUVs over $60,000
Peugeot 5008
The previous-generation 3008’s boxier, three-row sibling, the 5008, brings up the rear on this section with simply 40 deliveries – a drop of 78.3 per cent.
It was outsold by the Peugeot 408 (81), Alfa Romeo Stelvio (125), and Cupra Ateca (262).
Peugeot is introducing a brand new 5008 this yr, although it’s by no means been an enormous vendor right here. Other than a modest uptick in 2023, Peugeot 5008 deliveries have declined yearly because the first full yr of this technology, 2018, the place 508 examples had been delivered.
MORE: The whole lot Peugeot 5008
Massive SUVs underneath $80,000
Nissan Pathfinder
Nissan delivered simply 523 Pathfinders in 2024. That determine was down 62.7 per cent on 2023, regardless of the mid-year return of extra reasonably priced trim ranges that had been faraway from tariffs in February 2023 because of provide points.
It was outsold by the Jeep Wrangler (724) and Skoda Kodiaq (1185). Amongst Nissan’s lineup, it outsold solely the Z and Leaf.
Nissan’s native boss has forecast additional hurdles for the Pathfinder in our market, together with the international change charge, casting doubt on its future in our market.
The present-generation mannequin arrived right here late in 2022, and in its first full yr in the marketplace Nissan delivered 1401 examples. However its predecessor offered in a lot better volumes early in its (prolonged) run, with 6433 examples delivered in 2015.
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Massive SUVs over $80,000
Lexus RZ
Lexus’ flagship electrical SUV slid backwards in 2024, with a complete of 215 RZs delivered – a drop of 18.9 per cent. It outsold solely the low-volume LC grand tourer (51) and LS sedan (11) inside Lexus’ lineup.
Inside its section, it was outsold by the Jaguar F-Tempo (428) and Jeep Grand Cherokee (645), whereas amongst electrical SUVs it was bested by the Audi Q8 e-tron (619) and BMW iX (556).
The RZ solely launched right here in 2023 as a extra upmarket counterpart to the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra.
MORE: The whole lot Lexus RZ
Higher giant SUVs underneath $120,000
Land Rover Discovery
Simply 4 autos are listed on this section: the Land Rover Discovery, electrical Kia EV9, V8-powered Nissan Patrol, and the Toyota LandCruiser, which technically consists of gross sales of not solely the trendy 300 Sequence however the historical 70 Sequence wagon.
Simply 100 items separated the Discovery from the Kia EV9, with deliveries of the Land Rover falling by 12.2 per cent in comparison with 2023.
The Discovery wasn’t Land Rover’s worst vendor in 2024, with the extra reasonably priced, mid-sized Discovery Sport taking the title regardless of deliveries rising 110.8 per cent to 371 items.
