January new vehicle sales in New Zealand hit an all-time record with 7,543 new cars and 1,856 new commercial vehicles finding owners.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
New car sales were 11% up on January 2007 and new commercial vehicle sales were 9% up.
Perry Kerr, CEO of the Motor Industry Association, said: “Not only was this the best January in the history of our industry, but it came after a particularly strong finish to the previous year.”
The MIA said local new car sales – all now fully imported in a country once supplied by local CKD factories – had shifted up a gear since the nineties, when almost unlimited used car imports limited the ability of private buyers in particular to trade up to a new vehicle.
“With stable pricing and much more predictable resale value, new vehicle buyers can now buy with confidence, and this is evident as new vehicle sales keep increasing while used import sales trend downwards,” said Kerr.
Toyota continued to lead the market in January by a wide margin, with Holden holding off Ford for second place. Surprise performers were Mazda in fourth place overall, and Suzuki in fourth place for passenger cars.
