New Zealand Light-Vehicle Sales Up 3% in August

The usual uncertainty over New Zealand’s general election failed to slow new-vehicle sales, with August deliveries up 3.0% at 13,063 units.

The Motor Industry Assn. says this left year-to-date sales up 11.3% at 103,771 units. CEO David Crawford says it’s earliest in the year the total has topped 100,000 units.

“By way of comparison, at the height of the global financial crisis in 2009 there were only 45,384 vehicles sold to the end of August,” he says in a statement

New Zealand voters go to the polls Sept. 23, using a convoluted proportional representation system that rarely gives a single party control of the government. Polls show the two main parties, Labor and National, in a tight race; the winner will have to negotiate a coalition with minor parties to get a working majority.

And while the polls indicate electoral uncertainty, Crawford says the mix of vehicles leaving showrooms in August shows changing consumer preferences.

Car and SUV sales fell 3.2% to 8,607 units, but deliveries of commercial vehicles climbed 17.9% to 4,456.

“Nevertheless, year-to-date passenger (car) and SUV registrations still remain 7.5% above this time in 2016 (at 69,110 units) and CV registrations are up 19.6% (at 34,661),” Crawford says.

Toyota led the August market with 2,551 sales for a 19% market share, followed by Ford (1,305 units) and GM Holden (1,071).

Toyota topped the car and SUV segment with 1,397 units, ahead of Mazda (814) and GM Holden (686). The Toyota Corolla was the No.1 model with 540 units, comfortably ahead of the Kia Sportage (370) and Mitsubishi Outlander (296).

The CV segment leader was Toyota with 1,114 units, Ford with 833 and GM Holden 385.

Ford’s Ranger with 690 units lost its spot as the segment’s best-selling model to the Toyota HiLux (779). But year-to-date, the Ranger still reigned as both the top CV model and top model overall with 6,320 sales to 5,497 for the HiLux.