- New-vehicle sales grow again in August, for the third consecutive month.
- SUVs and passenger vehicles are up nearly 20% on last year.
- EVs still in a dramatic slump, with industry concern over emissions tagrets.
More positive new-vehicle sales figures for August has Motor Industry Association (MIA) chief executive Aimee Wiley suggesting there is growing cause for optimism that "a corner has been turned".
“We saw a sharp increase in June – possibly off the back of the Investment Boost measure contained in the
May budget – and numbers have remained steady through July and August, so that is an encouraging
trend.”
August sales of 11,739 mark three months of strong registrations, following more than a year of very subdued sales activity. It compares with 11,671 in July and is a 17.5% gain on the 9986 sales for August 2024.
Sales of light passenger vehicles, including SUVs, totaled 8090, compared with 7635 in July and representing a massive 19.6% increase on August 2024.
The Toyota RAV4 continued to dominate the category with 1039 registrations, with Ford Everest second on 413 sales, and the Mitsubishi ASX on 397.
Registrations of light commercial vehicles were steady at 3031 but still down on 3532 in July and 3225 in August 2024.
Long-time category leader the Ford Ranger was restored to top position after losing it in July to perennial rival the Toyota Hilux; the Ranger recording 978 registrations last month compared to the Hilux’s 745,
followed by the Mitsubishi Triton with 262.
The trend for battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles continued the downward direction of recent months. From the perspective of achieving CO2 emissions targets, Wiley describes the trend as “alarming.”
BEVs totaled 385 registrations during August compared with 638 sales in July and 564 in August 2024. Similarly, plug-in hybrids recorded 408 sales in August, compared with 749 in July, but up from the 231 in August last year.
Sales of hybrids remained steady on 3091, compared with 3434 in July and 2434 in August 2024
NZ'S TOP 10 NEW VEHICLES YEAR-TO-DATE
Toyota RAV4 (6221)
Ford Ranger (6203)
Toyota Hilux (5708)
Mitsubishi ASX (2844)
Kia Seltos (2470)
Mitsubishi Outlander (2254)
Mitsubishi Triton (2205)
Nissan Navara (1974)
Ford Everest (1714)
BYD Shark (1424)