NZ Sales: New year high across the ditch

NEW ZEALAND new vehicle sales have started the year on a high, jumping an impressive 8.9 per cent on the same time last year to finish January with a total of 11,806 units.

Driven chiefly by SUV sales, the firmer start to the year suggests the Kiwi new car market is rebuilding gradually, rather than accelerating, with gains concentrated across specific segments and market groups.

The uptick in sales reflects broader improvements in New Zealand’s economic conditions, supported by easier interest rate settings, firmer business confidence, and steady labour market conditions.

This backdrop is consistent with improving demand for new vehicles, with business and fleet activity stable, but household purchasing cautious.

New Zealand’s Motor Industry Association again noted strong sales of Toyota vehicles in January, the Japanese importer topping local sales charts with 2353 unit sales, or 20 market share points.

The Big T topped second-place Mitsubishi with 1304 unit sales (11 per cent), third-place Ford with 1216 unit sales (10 per cent), fourth-place Kia with 1020 unit sales (nine per cent), and fifth-place Nissan with 539 unit sales (five per cent).

Popular models for the month of January included a top 10 comprised entirely of SUVs on the ‘light passenger’ side of the coin, the MIA defining New Zealand new vehicle sales by ‘light passenger’ (passenger cars and SUVs) and ‘light commercial’ (utes and vans) segments.

Favourite light passenger models for the month of January included the Toyota RAV4 with 641 unit sales (and seven per cent segment share), Mitsubishi ASX with 492 unit sales (five per cent), Mitsubishi Outlander with 363 unit sales (four per cent), Kia Stonic with 354 unit sales (four per cent), and the Toyota Corolla Cross with 334 unit sales (and also with four per cent).

Across the total industry, the MIA noted 761 sales of battery electric vehicles in January – to see BEV sales now represent 6.4 per cent of the market overall – plug-in hybrid electric vehicles with 738 registrations (or 6.3 per cent), and hybrid electric vehicles with 3312 registrations (or 28.1 per cent).

“January has opened the year on a stronger footing than the same month last year, with growth coming through most clearly in light passenger vehicles,” said Motor Industry Association chief executive Aimee Wiley.

“The increase was supported by higher rental registrations and steady business demand, while private registrations were slightly lower.

“These results indicate improving conditions, but the market continues to remain sensitive to broader economic and confidence settings,” she cautioned.

Top 10 sales by Make (January overall):

Top 10 sales by Model (January light passenger):

Top 10 sales by Model (January light commercial):

*All sales figures are supplied courtesy of the Motor Industry Association of New Zealand.