As countries like New Zealand deal with being on the other side of the Covid-19 pandemic's bell curve (touch wood), more car manufacturers are coming out of the woodwork to report positive rebounds in vehicle sales and a potential return to pre-coronavirus figures.
One notable example of a company on the upswing is BMW. The firm has reported "significant sales success" in the first half of 2020, despite Alert Level 4 lockdown and other Covid-19-related restrictions.
Read more: BMW's first fully-electric SUV revealed as the 2021 iX3
Year-to-date, 712 new BMWs have been registered on Kiwi roads (159 in June alone). That's more registered vehicles locally than during the same six-month period in 2019. BMW Group New Zealand claims that the bulk of this surge has spawned from its electrified range — including new models of 3 Series, i cars, and the new Mini Countryman Hybrid. It's a trend that reflects what BMW has reported overseas.
Its sales of electrified vehicles in this period led the luxury electrified market with a leading margin of over 300 per cent.
"This great achievement proves that our team and dealership network are amazing, our product range has immense appeal, and our ‘Power of Choice’ strategy is right, putting customers at the forefront," says BMW Group New Zealand Managing Director, Karol Abrasowicz-Madej.
"BMW and MINI are both in great stead despite these challenging times, and with new and exciting products reaching our shores soon, we will continue to push ahead for a good result in the second half of this year."
It's not just BMW, either. Porsche has also confirmed that it managed to sell 911s globally in the first half of 2020 than in the first half of 2019. Overall it's experienced a 12 per cent decline, but interestingly 911 sales have gone up by 2 per cent — total deliveries sitting at 16,919.
Suzuki, too, has also made inroads in the wake of Covid-19. It currently holds a 7.3 per cent share of passenger/SUV sales, a healthy lift over the 6.2 per cent it held last year and enough to raise it from seventh place to fourth. It's sold over 500 cars in both May and June, which is better than its sales in February. In fact, New Zealand vehicle sales overall were above the numbers recorded in February.
The recent reports from two German heavyweights complement other signs of light at the end of the tunnel. As we reported last week, Webb's Auctions Collectors' Cars, Motorcycles & Automoilia auction saw excellent results, with 75 per cent of inventory being sold on the day.