Australia has a network of roads and highways with a total length of 873,573 km. The total number of registered vehicles in Australia is about 21 million. That’s a lot of cars going down a lot of road! Australians love to go driving, and there is plenty of room to do it in!
Australians also love their cars, and pamper them like a Persian cat, buying them add-ons like windscreen sun shades to protect them from the brutal summer sun, and they take pride in washing them every weekend to keep them looking their smooth and shiny best!
So, what are the cars that they love to drive so much? Let’s take a look at the favourite cars that have made the country go over the decades!
The 1960s – The Holden HK Monaro. One in two cars bought was a Holden, and the locally built V8 engine Holden HK Monaro model was the most beloved by Aussies who desired power, efficiency, and great handling.
The 1970s – The Datsun 120Y. Holden was still the overall king of the road, but the Datsun 120Y stood out as the king of economy cars in the fuel-hungry 1970s. Small cars with good fuel economy that were frugal to run and fun to drive were in, and the Datsun 120Y came in at number one nationwide.
The 1980s – The Ford Falcon. Holden reigned supreme overall for three decades until the sporty-looking, but affordable Ford Falcon knocked it off its perch. The new rear suspension, improved fuel economy, high-performance engine, and excellent handling made the Ford Falcon reign supreme. Plus, it was destined to be a classic because it was also a movie star, appearing with a young Mel Gibson in the iconic Mad Max film!
The 1990s – The VT Commodore. General Motors Holden Australia rolled out its five millionth car in 1990 and the VT Commodore was the happy result. It was smart-looking and fun to drive, fitted with independent rear suspension and state-of-the-art safety features. The Holden Commodore was Australia’s best-selling car for the 15 years between 1996 and 2010.
The 2000s – The Toyota Corolla. First introduced to Australia way back in 1966, it was considered to be a simple, affordable car with good mileage, and it grew to be the best-selling car worldwide within just a decade! A bit of a plain Jane for all those years, the manufacturers gave it a makeover by adding chrome-plated grill surrounds, smart interior trims, and front lip spoilers. The racy new look worked wonders, and the Toyota Corolla hit best seller of the year in 2005 and continued to do so through 2008.
The 2010s – The Mazda 3. This reliable and sporty fellow debuted in 2004, and rose to be the nation’s best-selling model by 2011. The Mazda 3 was good-looking, comfortable to drive, and had a powerful engine, which Australians loved!
After the 2010s the desire for speed and good looks was somehow replaced by some strange need to drive around in big, bulky SUVs, so we will end our story here back when cars were cool and the drivers even cooler!
