Australia 1969-1976: Ford catches up on Holden, a Datsun on the podium
1969 Chrysler Valiant
* See the 1970-1973 yearly brands rankings & many more vintage pictures by clicking on the title! *
Thanks to the help of the State Library of Sydney I have been able to continue searching through old Wheels magazines to share with you the evolution of the Australian car market over the past 60 years. Today we’re exploring the 7 years between 1969 and 1976.
1970 Holden
1970 Ford Galaxie LTD
This period saw Holden and Ford get closer, while Chrysler maintained itself in third position at around 10% of the market. Japanese brands get stronger and stronger: Toyota led the pack in 1970 before being passed by Datsun in 1972.
The Datsun 180B is the best-selling Japanese car in Australia over the period.
1970 Toyota Corona Coupe
For the very first time in 1973 models data becomes available: the Holden is #1 with 94,419 sales, ahead of the Ford Falcon at 62,352 units. The Datsun 1200/1600/180B ranks at an excellent third place with 36,723 sales, just above the Holden Torana at 36,366 units.
1971 Honda 1300
1970 Mazda 1200 Coupe
1970 Subaru 1100
The Toyota Corona/Corolla/Celica takes the 5th spot with 34,650 sales, followed by the Ford Cortina/Escort/Capri at 31,828 and the Chrysler Valiant at 31,721. Mazda ranks #9. Other successful Japanese brands over the period include Honda at #11 in 1972. Subarus and Mitsubishis also feature quite regularly on Wheels Magazine at that time.
1971 Renault 12
The Renault 12 won the title of Wheels Car of the Year in 1971 but sales of French models stayed confidential during the period, with Peugeot and Renault adding up to a meagre 1.7% market share in 1972.
Previous ‘Japan special’ post: Australia 1958-1968: Toyota and Japan’s first export market
Previous general post: Australia 1960-1968: Ford unveils Falcon to challenge Holden
Next post: Australia 1977: Holden Kingswood and Ford Falcon dominate
Full Year 1970, 1971, 1972 Top 10 Brands, 1973 Top 10 Models Ranking Tables below.
Australia Full Year 1970 – Brands:
| Pos | Brand | 1970 | % |
| 1 | Holden | 139,834 | 33.9% |
| 2 | Ford | 92,040 | 22.3% |
| 3 | Chrysler | 39,597 | 9.6% |
| 4 | Toyota | 26,171 | 6.3% |
| 5 | Datsun | 19,989 | 4.8% |
| 6 | Morris | 17,128 | 4.1% |
| 7 | Mazda | 13,143 | 3.2% |
| 8 | Volkswagen | 13,117 | 3.2% |
| 9 | Hillman | 12,009 | 2.9% |
| 10 | Austin | 11,311 | 2.7% |
Australia Full Year 1971 – Brands:
| Pos | Brand | 1971 | % |
| 1 | Holden | 168,169 | 33.4% |
| 2 | Ford | 112,281 | 22.3% |
| 3 | Japanese | 91,637 | 18.2% |
| 4 | Chrysler | 57,399 | 11.4% |
| 5 | British Leyland | 33,735 | 6.7% |
| Others | 40,280 | 8.0% |
Australia Full Year 1972 – Brands:
| Pos | Brand | 1972 | % |
| 1 | Holden | 129,873 | 32.0% |
| 2 | Ford | 111,609 | 27.5% |
| 3 | Chrysler | 40,179 | 9.9% |
| 4 | Datsun | 29,627 | 7.3% |
| 5 | Toyota | 28,410 | 7.0% |
| 6 | Leyland | 22,728 | 5.6% |
| 7 | Mazda | 12,581 | 3.1% |
| 8 | Volkswagen | 10,552 | 2.6% |
| 9 | Renault/Peugeot | 6,899 | 1.7% |
| 10 | Volvo | 2,841 | 0.7% |
| 11 | Honda | 2,029 | 0.5% |
| 12 | Mercedes | 1,623 | 0.4% |
| Others | 6,899 | 1.7% |
Australia Full Year 1973 – Models:
| Pos | Brand | 1973 |
| 1 | Holden | 94,419 |
| 2 | Ford Falcon | 62,352 |
| 3 | Datsun 1200, 1600, 180-B | 36,723 |
| 4 | Holden Torana | 36,366 |
| 5 | Toyota Corolla, Corona, Celica | 34,650 |
| 6 | Ford Cortina, Escort, Capri | 31,828 |
| 7 | Chrysler Valiant | 31,721 |
| 8 | Holden commercials | 31,302 |
| 9 | Mazda | 25,005 |
| 10 | Ford Falcon commercials | 13,426 |
Source: Wheels Magazine
Note: All pictures were taken from old issues of Wheels Magazine, all rights reserved.
1970 Ford Escort, Toyota Corolla, VW Beetle and Holden Torana
1970 Ford Escort
1969 Ford Falcon
1970 Ford Escort
1971 Ford Falcon
1974 Ford Cortina
1976 Ford Bronco
1971 Hillman Hunter Royal 660
1968 Holden
1968 Holden Monaro
1971 Holden Kingswood
1972 Holden Kingswood
1974 Holden Torana
1975 Holden Gemini
1970 Toyota Corolla
1972 Toyota Crown 2600
1972 Toyota Mk II
1974 Toyota Corona
1975 Toyota Crown
@Paul
Paul’s right – we never got that model Bronco here in Australia. We got the Bronco between 1981-1987 (imported from the US but fitted with local engines), but it was very expensive and only sold in limited numbers. I agree that the Bronco was hideous looking until it became based on the F-Series trucks in the 80s!
Hey David, Paul,
The picture of the Bronco was taken during a trial of the model by Wheels Magazine in New South Wales in 1976 and you can see it has a NSW licence plate, so it looks like it did come to Australia albeit potentially in very small numbers? Or maybe only in some States in the manner of Geely nowadays?
Matt
@Paul
I remember the Bronco 4×4… it was the kind of vehicle taht lasted forever. My uncle had one in Mozambique that turned 300.000 km with no problems and over 100 journeys to South Africa, Namibia, Suaziland, Tanzania, Botswana, Rhodesia… A true 4×4!!!
Whats the 76 Bronco doing there? We never saw that piece of ugliness here. I have seen one in the metal and, what were they thinking?
I´d like to point out that these were TRUE CARS!
Thank you very much for this fantastic article Matt!! Very good times to remember with happyness, tenderness and nostalgia… I remember all these cars… make part of my childhood. All of them were sold in Mozambique and South Africa, places were I lived when I was a child. Even the Ford Falcon was sold there as well as Holden Monaro/Torana/Kingswood and Gemini called there Isuzu Gemini or Bellet II.
You’re welcome Miguel, glad you liked it!
cheers
Matt
Fantastic article, all those old Japanese cars and massive Australian ones, thanks again
Hey Ian, no worries, glad you like it!
cheers
Matt