While it may have again been edged by the Ford Ranger for the crown of being the country's best selling vehicle, Toyota New Zealand continues to be local sales juggernaut.
Last year represented the 32nd straight year of Toyota NZ leading the Kiwi market, having secured 20.1 per cent of the vehicle market through sales of the ever present Hilux, as well as through new models like the Corolla, RAV4, and GR Supra.
It isn't necessarily a surprise to see Toyota again at the top of the pile, but what makes the result particularly significant is that it comes in the first full calendar year of the brand's 'Drive Happy' haggle-free pricing strategy — a move that invited some skepticism when launched in 2018.
Photo / Matthew Hansen
While a high percentage of the brand's domestic sales were to fleets, Toyota New Zealand Chief Operating Officer Neeraj Lala says that progress is being made in attracting more private buyers.
Read more: New Toyota RAV4 Hybrid gets tested, on and off road
“2019 was a year of major change for us. Not only did we have our first full year of the Drive Happy project we shook up our product range to make it more exciting,” says Lala. “We made a deliberate strategic decision to refocus on our channel share, with a larger shift to gaining more private buyer share. We have seen this increase with RAV4 and Corolla consistently in the top 10 vehicles sold during the year.”
The new RAV4 — our 2019 AA Driven New Zealand Car of the Year People's Choice winner — was a particular sales success, with its hybrid variant quickly attracting enough orders to render it sold out well into 2020. Lala says that this highlights the shifting attitudes of new-car buyers towards electrified vehicles.
“Increasingly, customers are seeking fuel efficient, low emitting passenger vehicles and the 2019 RAV4 hybrid is ticking many boxes for new vehicle buyers. The new RAV4, especially the hybrid version which became available in New Zealand this year for the first time, has performed exceptionally well for us,” he adds.
Photo / supplied
“The addition of more hybrids to our range has reduced our average carbon emissions across the range for new Toyota vehicles by 9.5%1. We believe that as a brand representing a quarter of all cars on New Zealand roads, we have a key role to play as we move towards a low emissions economy as a country. In 2020 we will add more hybrids to our range to continue to decrease our carbon impact.”
After a record 2018 for the industry, it will be interesting to plot whether the Kiwi new-vehicle market can rebound from its 2019 slump. Nevertheless, Toyota's upcoming updated Hilux, all-new Yaris, and hybrid C-HR place it in positive stead for 2020.
To view Toyota vehicles listed for sale on Driven, click here