New Zealand new vehicle sales set a record for the third consecutive year.
Registrations of 146,753 units were up 9.5% year on year. December was also a record month with registrations also up 9.5%, to 11,225 vehicles.
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Toyota led in December with 26% market share (2,917 vehicles) boosted by strong rental sales, followed by GM Holden with 9% (1,030 vehicles) and Ford also with 9% (965 vehicles).
For the full year, Toyota (18%), Ford (11%), Holden (10%), Mazda (8%) and Mitsubishi (6%), respectively, were the top five overall market leaders.
New passenger and SUV registrations of 8,069 vehicles in December were up 960 units (13.5%) on December 2015 sales of 7,109 vehicles.
Toyota remained the market leader for passenger and SUV vehicles with 29% market share (2,344 vehicles), followed by Holden with 10% (776 vehicles) and Mazda with 9% (714 vehicles). For the 2016 year Toyota, Holden and Mazda were the passenger and SUV vehicle market leaders.
Overall the passenger and SUV market for 2016 was the strongest ever with 102,514 registrations, breaking a long-standing record dating back to 1973 when 97,346 passenger vehicles were sold.
"The 2016 record year marked a continued shift in buyer preference and market dynamics with for the first time in New Zealand history more SUVs being sold than passenger vehicles. SUVs accounted for 36% of the market (52,913 vehicles) compared to 35% for all other passenger vehicles (51,552) and 29% for commercial vehicles," said Motor Industry Association CEO David Crawford.
