Toyota's LandCruiser Prado is Australia's most popular vehicle in the fastest growing segment of the new-car market, according to the latest sales figures.

Prado has outsold all other SUVs in the first half of 2010 with a total of 9132 vehicles compared with 6336 at the same stage last year.

The Toyota vehicle's sales increase of 44.1 per cent is well ahead of the overall sales rise for SUVs of 30.8 per cent.

The overall SUV sales hike is the best across the automotive industry where the average improvement this year has been 16.7 per cent.

Prado's success in 2010 has carried the make past 160,000 Australian deliveries since its introduction in 1996.

Toyota's overall SUV sales so far this year of 26,980 - comprised of RAV4 (4-cylinder and V6), Kluger, Prado and LandCruiser 200 Series - are more than double those of the nearest rival.

In the medium SUV sub-segment, where Prado competes alongside Kluger, the two Toyota vehicles account for more than one third of sales.

Toyota Australia's senior executive director sales and marketing David Buttner said Prado's success has been boosted by the new range introduced late in 2009.

"Prado is a great package that has strong market acceptance and extremely high customer loyalty," Mr Buttner said.

"It is luxuriously comfortable and capable around town and, above all, it lives up to the LandCruiser heritage by delivering supreme off-road performance."

Mr Buttner said there had been a strong preference for turbo-diesel versions.

"The GXL grade remains our volume seller; however, the top two grades of Kakadu and VX have over-achieved our expectations."

•Toyota is now offering the LandCruiser Prado VX with an optional satellite navigation pack, available at $2,500*, which includes a navigation screen that also functions as a monitor for the reversing camera, plus five extra speakers (a total of 14) for the sound system