- 'Cautious hopes' after 28% sales lift, says MIA.
- Toyota RAV4 still dominates, despite an all-new model on the way.
- Two Mitsubishi SUVs in top-3 light-vehicle registrations.
Light passenger vehicles (a category which includes SUVs) are getting the credit for a 28% lift in New Zealand new-vehicle sales for September: total registrations were 14,000 neat, compared to 11,731 for August.
Of that September total, 10,364 were light vehicles, compared to 8090 for August, meaning the category was effectively responsible for the overall increase.
MIA chief executive Aimee Wiley says given the continuing tight economic conditions in the country, the September sales figure is cause for encouragement: “After a tough 18 months through 2024 and into the middle of this year, we have seen a sustained improvement in sales since June, so there are cautious hopes building among our members for better times ahead.”
The Toyota RAV4 continued to dominate with 1281 sales, followed by Mitsubishis Outlander (810) and ASX (805).
Sales of light commercial vehicles remained steady for the month at 3078 registrations, compared with 3043 in August and 2586 in September 2024.
The Ford Ranger was top for the month with 827 sales, followed by the Toyota Hilux (769) and Mitsubishi Triton (3420.
The MIA characterises an improvement in EV sales as "mutred", with 608 registrations for September compared to 385 in August, but still well down on the 868 sales in September 2024.
Plug-in hybrids recorded 389 sales in September compared to 408 in August.
NZ'S TOP 10 NEW VEHICLES YEAR-TO-DATE
Toyota RAV4 (7502)
Ford Ranger (7028)
Toyota Hilux (6475)
Mitsubishi ASX (3648)
Mitsubishi Outlander (3063)
Kia Seltos (2728)
Mitsubishi Triton (2546)
Ford Everest (2076)
Nissan Navara (2061)
Toyota Hiace (1526)