New Zealand new-vehicle sales declined further in April, with total registrations of 9238 sitting 9 per cent lower than April 2023 and 5 per cent lower than the same month in 2022.
However, the Motor Industry Association (MIA, which represents new-vehicle importers/distributors) says that news should be also be tempered by the knowledge that April is traditionally a “softer month for what is the start of the financial year for many”.
On a year-to-date basis, 2024 is now 10 per cent down on 2023 and 24 per cent lower than 2022.
Toyota dominated the market for April with a 25 per cent share, followed by Ford (14 per cent) and Mitsubishi (10 per cent). Internal combustion engines accounted for 69 per cent of sales, followed by hybrid (26 per cent), pure-electric (BEV, 3 per cent) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV, 2 per cent).
The top three segments in April were Medium SUV (27 per cent), Pick Up/Cab Chassis (23 per cent) and Compact SUV.
What were the top new models in April?
The Toyota RAV4 was the top-seller overall and the only one to crack 1000 registrations (albeit only by 12 units). Second was the Ford Ranger (837), followed by the Mitsubishi Triton (405).
The hybrids were all Toyotas: RAV4, Yaris Cross and Corolla Cross. The most popular PHEVs were Mitsubishi’s Outlander and Eclipse Cross, followed by the Volkswagen Touareg. The BEV sales leaders were Tesla Model Y, BYD Seal and VW ID.4.
NZ’S TOP 10 NEW VEHICLES FOR 2024
Ford Ranger (4270)
Toyota RAV4 (2886)
Toyota Hilux (2473)
Mitsubishi Triton (1849)
Mitsubishi Outlander (1209)
Mitsubishi ASX (1101)
Kia Seltos (966)
Suzuki Swift (939)
Nissan Navara (862)
Ford Everest (815)