TOYOTA was the best-performing vehicle brand last year for the seventh year in a row, albeit with a reduced margin.
It finished the year with a market share of 21.4 per cent ahead of Holden on 12.8 per cent and Ford on 10.3 per cent.
Then came Mazda, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Honda, Subaru and Volkswagen.
The top 10 models were Holden Commodore (44,387), Toyota Corolla (39,013), Toyota Hilux (38,457), Mazda3 (35,298), Ford Falcon (31,023), Hyundai i30 (21,414), Mitsubishi Lancer (21,362), Toyota Camry (20,846), Hyundai Getz (19,643) and Toyota Yaris (19,447).
Sales figures compiled by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries show Toyota sold 200,991 vehicles, or more than one in five new vehicles, to lead Holden on 119,568 and Ford on 96,501.
This was 15.9 per cent less than it sold in 2008 in a total market that shrank by 7.4 per cent. Holden was down 8.3 per cent and Ford by 7.8 per cent.
In the light car segment, Toyota lost its lead to the Hyundai Getz, which sold 19,643 units (up 13.8 per cent) to pip the Yaris on 19,447 (down 25.5 per cent).
The next best were the Mazda2 on 13,335 (down 15.6 per cent), Suzuki Swift on 11,548 (down 10.8 per cent) and the Holden Barina on 10,552 (down 2.4 per cent).
The Corolla again led the small car class on 47,901 (down 18.5 per cent) ahead of the Mazda3 on 35,298 (up 4.6 per cent), the Hyundai i30 on 21,414 (up an impressive 109.9 per cent), and the Mitsubishi Lancer on 21,362 (up 8.5 per cent).
Then came the hot performer of small cars - the Holden Cruze - which made its debut last year and sold 12,590 to shade the Subaru Impreza on 12,268 (up 5.7 per cent).
In the medium-car class, the Camry continued to dominate, selling 20,846 units (down 9.6 per cent), ahead of the Mazda6 on 8758 (down 14.2 per cent) and the Honda Euro on 6237 (down 19.7 per cent).
Then came the Subaru Liberty on 5548 (down 13.7 per cent) and the Ford Mondeo on 4222 (down 13.3 per cent).
Holden kept its lead in the large car class with the Commodore on 44,387 (down 13.1 per cent) ahead of the Falcon on 31,023 (down 2.9 per cent) and the Aurion on 13,910 (down 28.9 per cent).
In the compact SUV class, the Subaru Forester held its lead on 13,755 (down 4.6 per cent) ahead of the Toyota RAV4 on 12,635 (down 10.5 per cent) and the Hyundai Tucson on 11,405 (up 85.7 per cent).
Then came the Nissan X-Trail on 7875 (down 109.6 per cent).
Toyota dominated the medium SUV market with the Prado on 13,180 (down 10.5 per cent) and the Kluger on 12,848 (down 4.3 per cent), ahead of the increasingly popular Holden Captiva on 11,504 (up 13.9 per cent). Then came the Ford Territory on 10,884 (down 15.5 per cent).
The lead in the luxury SUV market was retained by the BMW X5 on 3124 (down 8.3 per cent) ahead of the Lexus RX on 2607 (up 13.2 per cent) and the Mercedes Benz M Class on 1750 (up 5.8 per cent).
In large SUVs it was again the LandCruiser on 7755 units (down 24.2 per cent) ahead of the Patrol on 3089 (down 29 per cent).
No surprises in the two and four-wheel-drive ute classes.
In the 2WD utes, the dominant HiLux sold 15,360 units (down 11.4 per cent) while the Falcon on 12,180 (down 3.3 per cent) just pipped the Commodore on 12,104 (down 10 per cent).
Then came the Mitsubishi Triton on 7625 (up 5.7 per cent).
In the 4WD utes it was again the HiLux on 23,097 (down 9.9 per cent) ahead of the Nissan Navara on 16,455 (up 1.6 per cent) and the Holden Colorado on 11,002 (up 246 per cent since it replaced the Rodeo).
Then came the Triton on 10,557 (up 12.7 per cent) and the Ford Ranger on 8316 (up 12.8 per cent).
In the van market, the ubiquitous HiAce continued to dominate with 8923 units (down 6 per cent) ahead of the Hyundai iLoad on 3745 (up 87.3 per cent) and the Mitsubishi Express on 2275 (down 28.2 per cent).
