SMALL cars and compact SUVs are the big movers in the car market.

The top selling passenger vehicles for 2011 included:

Light cars: Mazda2 (17,501 units sold), Toyota Yaris (16,214), Suzuki Swift (12,388) and Ford Fiesta (12,286).

Small cars - Mazda3 (41,429), Toyota Corolla (36,087), Holden Cruze (33,784), Hyundai i30 (28,869) and Mitsubishi Lancer (18,717).

Medium cars:  Toyota Camry (19,169), Ford Mondeo (6626), Mazda6 (5794) and Honda Accord Euro (4879).

Large cars: Holden Commodore (40,617), Ford Falcon ((18,741) Toyota Aurion (8915), Honda Accord (1978) and Nissan Maxima (1923).

Luxury cars: Mercedes Benz C Class (6428), BMW 3 Series (4203), Audi A4 (3106), Lexus IS250 (1794) and Audi A5 (884).

Upper Luxury car: Mercedes Benz E Class ((1386) followed by the BMW 5 Series (1384).

Compact SUV: Subaru Forester (13,142), Toyota RAV4 (13,125), Nissan X-Trail ((12,089), Hyundai ix35 (11,487) and Mazda CX7 (9714).

Medium SUV: Ford Territory (13,866), Toyota Kluger (11,692), Toyota Prado (10,849), Holden Captiva7 (10,324) and Mitsubishi Pajero (6852).

Large SUV: Toyota LandCruiser (9119) and Nissan Patrol (3217).