New Zealand Sets Full-Year Sales Record in 11 Months

Every new vehicle that sells in New Zealand this month extends a record.

This after a record November pushed the year-to-date result higher than the full-year record set a year earlier.

Motor Industry Assn. data shows dealers delivered 14,594 new vehicles during the month, up 6.2% year-on-year.

The result raised year-to-date sales 9.5% to 148,335 units, topping the full-2016 result of 146,753 going into December.

MIA CEO David Crawford says it is New Zealand’s fourth consecutive year of record returns.

Year-to-date, sales of cars and SUVs were up 6.2% at 100,334 units, while commercial-vehicle deliveries were ahead 16.8% at 48,001.

Toyota remained the market leader in November with 3,227 deliveries for a 22% market share. Ford followed with 1,546 units, ahead of GM Holden with 1,489.

Toyota led the car and SUV segment with 2,358 sales, followed by GM Holden (1,149) and Mazda (904). The Toyota Corolla led the segment with 814 units, ahead of the Toyota RAV4 (648) and Toyota Highlander (445).

Ford led the CV segment with 943 deliveries, followed by Toyota (869) and GM Holden (340).

The Ford Ranger retained the top spot in November as the bestselling CV with 874 units, ahead of the Toyota HiLux (620). Year-to-date, the Ranger remains both the top CV model and top model overall with 8,824 units, comfortably ahead of the HiLux on 7,664.

“With one month to go the question on everyone’s lips is whether the total for the year will break through the 160,000-unit mark for the first time,” Crawford says in a statement. “The 150,000-unit total mark for a calendar year is no longer a question.”