The Ford Ranger is back on top of the New Zealand new-vehicle sales charts for April – the only model to crack the 1000 mark for the month. But it’s still Hilux that leads year-to-date, albeit by a slim margin: 3351 compared with the Ranger’s 3348.
The third best-selling new vehicle for April was the Kia Stonic, although it’s another SUV that’s in the number three spot year-to-date: the Mitsubishi Outlander.
A record-breaking run is also continuing for the overall market: it was the strongest April on record with 13,133 registrations. It was also up a handy 12,094 units on lockdown-hit April 2020.
Motor Industry Association (MIA) chief executive David Crawford says comparing this year and last is a “statistical challenge” thanks to the unique circumstances of 2020.
He argues 2018 is actually the most useful comparison, as it was the strongest year for new-vehicle sales on record. For the first quarter, this year’s sales are already up 8.3 per cent on the first four months of 2018, which is largely due to long waiting lists being filled as new shipments arrive, says the MIA.
The most popular genre of vehicle for April was SUV Compact (26 per cent), followed by SUV Medium (17 per cent) and Pick Up/Chassis 4x4 (also 17 per cent).
There were a total of 303 Electric Vehicles (EVs) sold in April: 177 BEVs (pure-electric) and 126 Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs).
The top BEV was the Hyundai Kona Electric (67), followed by the MG ZS EV (67) and Kia Niro (20).
The top PHEV was the Mitsubishi Outlander (56), followed by the Mini Countryman (13) and Hyundai Ioniq (9).
Year-to-date Toyota remains the overall market leader with 16 per cent share, ahead of Mitsubishi (12 per cent) and Ford (10 per cent).
NZ’S TOP 10 NEW VEHICLES FOR 2021 SO FAR
(Click to see DRIVEN.co.nz listings)
Toyota Hilux (3351)
Ford Ranger (3348)
Mitsubishi Outlander (1982)
Mitsubishi Triton (1941)
Toyota RAV4 (1558)
Mitsubishi ASX (1396)
Mazda CX-5 (1268)
Kia Sportage (1176)
Nissan Navara (1149)
Suzuki Swift (1085)