NZ Sales: February fortunes blown away

NEW ZEALAND has faced a month of devastating flooding and destruction in the wake of Cyclone Gabrille, the interruption to services impacting the country’s new vehicle sales by a substantial 23.7 per cent over the same period in 2022.

According to figures published by the Motor Industry Association (MIA) week, just 9541 new vehicles were registered in NZ across the month of February, down 2960 units on February 2022 – and the lowest number since February 2014.

The MIA says New Zealand’s recent weather events have conspired with a softening economy to form a “double whammy” for the new vehicle sector. The year is off to one of its slowest in recent memory.

Demand for new vehicles over the coming months is likely to increase following record write-off levels, but the MIA warns that high inflation and continuing logistical delays are creating uncertainty for the months ahead.

February registrations of 6259 passenger and SUV models saw a fall of 18.1 per cent (or 1386 units) compared to the same time last year, with commercial vehicle sales down 32.4 per cent (1574).

The usually buoyant new energy vehicle sector was softer in February, although registrations of hybrid models remained strong, the MIA says.

New Zealanders bought 773 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) across February, 354 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models, and 1237 petrol-electric hybrid (HEV) cars and SUVs.

A total of 765 light-vehicle BEVs and eight heavy vehicle BEVs registered in February with best-selling models including the BYD Atto 3 (143 units), MG ZS (104 units) and Tesla Model Y (95 units).

PHEV favourites include the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (170 units), Kia Sorento (32 units) and Ford Escape (23 units) while popular petrol-electric HEVs include the Suzuki Swift (171 units), Honda Jazz (151 units) and Toyota RAV4 (122 units).

Despite the marked fluctuation in new vehicle sales as a result of Cyclone Gabrille, it seems some trends remain unaltered.

The MIA says New Zealanders' preference for smaller vehicles remains steady, with 58 per cent of all vehicles registered for the month being from the small and medium segments.

Leading the market was the compact SUV segment with a 19 per cent share, followed by the medium SUVs with 18 per cent, matching the 4x4 segment’s 18 per cent share.

Suzuki was the market leader for passenger and SUV registrations in February with a 12 per cent market share (or 767 units), followed by Toyota also with 12 per cent (and 744 units). Hyundai placed third in February 2023 with a nine per cent market share (and 562 unit sales).

New Zealand’s top-selling passenger and SUV models for the month were the Suzuki Swift (pictured, 487 units) followed by the MG ZS (234 units) and the Hyundai Kona (217 units, of which 94 were BEVs).

Commercial vehicle sales for February saw Toyota retain top position in the market with a 29 per cent slice of the action (944 units), narrowly followed by Ford with 28 per cent (and 932 units) and Mitsubishi in a distant third place (with a seven per cent share and 234 unit sales).

Biggest-selling commercial vehicle models for the month were the Ford Ranger (859 units), Toyota HiLux (849 units) and the Mitsubishi Triton (230 units).

There were 599 registrations of heavy commercial vehicles for the month of February, up from 565 in the same month a year prior.

On a brand-by-brand basis, Toyota again held top spot in February with an 18 per cent share (1688 units) of the overall market, ahead of second-place Ford with 12 per cent (1187 units) and Suzuki in third place with an eight per cent share (768 units).

Top 10 sales by Make (February passenger, SUV and commercial):

Top 10 sales by Model (February passenger and SUV):

Top 10 sales by Model (February commercial):

Note: all figures are supplied courtesy of the Motor Industry Association of New Zealand.