Sales of both new and used cars in New Zealand for the first quarter of 2002 were comfortably ahead of the same period last year. Total new vehicle industry volume was up by 13 percent while new car volume grew by 11 percent, writes Donn Anderson.
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Used car import sales were pushed by a race to beat an April deadline for compliance with new crash safety regulations. They reached 37,465 for the first quarter, a hike of almost 26 percent over the first quarter of 2001.
By comparison, new car sales totalled 14,717 for the opening three months of this year, compared to 13,253 for the corresponding period in 2001. Commercial vehicle sales were also up to 4,231 units, a 22 percent increase.
Reflecting its leading sales position in its native Australia (see https://www.just-auto.com/news_detail.asp?art=37626&app=1), General Motors’ Holden led the Kiwi market ahead of Toyota and Ford, though not quite as decisively.
Taking 16.8 percent of the new car class and 19.8 percent of the commercial vehicle sector, Holden’s 2,473 new car sales were 13 percent ahead of the same period last year.
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By GlobalDataSpurred on by the new generation Corolla, which launched in New Zealand during the closing weeks of 2001, Toyota increased new car volume by 29 percent to fill second place with 14.8 percent penetration and 16.5 percent of total industry sales – one percent less than Holden.
Ford new car sales were also strong, with an increase of just under 26 percent and 14.4 percent market share. Its total industry penetration of 15.7 percent ranked the multi-national third, well clear of an improving Mitsubishi’s nine percent. After a poor showing last year, the Japanese nameplate’s latest first quarter performance was a solid 58 percent ahead of the same period in 2001.
Fifth placed Nissan was the only manufacturer in the top six to show a decline. Its new car sales at 1,258 were 23 percent down last year, resulting in a market share of 8.5 percent – the same as Mitsubishi. Nissan was pipped to the post in total industry sales by Mitsubishi which sold more light commercial vehicles. Honda, in sixth place with 7.4 percent of the car market, increased sales by 23 percent.
European marques are currently posting the greatest improvements in New Zealand market share, as demand is driven by increased buyer interest and keener pricing.
BMW enjoyed a record quarter, with sales of 532 for a 3.6 percent market share. Remarkably, this was ahead of Mazda’s 430 (2.9 percent), and a hefty 45 percent higher than the German brand’s first quarter 2001 result.
Tenth placed Peugeot, enjoying strong sales with the new 307, was up 57 percent to 391 units, a record quarter for the French make, and good enough for a 2.7 percent share. Volkswagen sales were up only slightly to 348, but Mercedes-Benz improved 17 percent to 260 units.
