NZ Sales: Continued decline in April

NEW ZEALAND new car sales continue to languish at the start of the new financial year with year-on-year sales down 9.2 per cent on 2023 figures and 5.1 per cent on those for the same time in 2022.

On a year-to-date basis, 2024 sales are 10.4 per cent lower than for 2023, and 23.9 per cent lower than in 2022.

For the month of April, New Zealand total new vehicle sales totalled 9238 units. Of that number, 2382 (25.8 per cent) wore a Toyota badge, followed by Ford with 1266 units (13.7 per cent), and Mitsubishi with 948 units (10.3 per cent).

Light passenger vehicles (6120 units) and light commercial (2521) formed the majority of the country’s April registrations with heavy vehicle commercial numbers solid at 597 units.

Of those, battery electric vehicles comprised 276 units (3.0 per cent), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles 183 units (2.0 per cent), and mild- and hybrid electric vehicles 2380 units (25.8 per cent), the remaining 6399 units (69.3 per cent) internal combustion powered.

Segment leaders include Medium SUV (26.5 per cent), Pick-up/Cab-Chassis (22.6 per cent), and Compact SUV (19.6 per cent).

New Zealand’s Motor Industry Association says the number of light passenger vehicles registered, including SUVs, in April is 13.3 per cent lower than for the same time last year, and 28.1 per cent lower than in 2022.

On a year-to-date (YTD) basis, light passenger vehicles are down 18.9 per cent. Winners in the segment include the Toyota RAV4 (1012 units), Suzuki Swift (257 units), and Mitsubishi Outlander (245).

YTD light commercial vehicle sales favoured the Blue Oval brand (Ford) with 904 units sold, followed by Toyota with 718 units, and Mitsubishi with 405 units. Popular models include the strong-selling Ford Ranger (837 units), Toyota Hilux (513 units), and Mitsubishi Triton (405 units).

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

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

Top 10 sales by Model (April commercial):

*All figures are supplied courtesy of the Motor Industry Association of New Zealand.