New sales record on cards

Vehicle sales in the first quarter of this year have increased by 14 per cent compared to the first three months of 2014. For the whole market, 24,853 new and used imported passenger and commercial vehicles were registered in March – 12 per cent more than the 22,099 sold for the first time in the same month of last year. This was also up 18 per cent on last month’s total figure of 21,131 units. For 2015’s first quarter, 70,086 units were registered for a 14 per cent increase on last year. Warwick Quinn, chief executive of the Motor Trade Association, notes this isn’t evenly spread across the regions. “The Canterbury and Auckland regions are powerhouses by making up 59 per cent of all vehicle registrations over the past quarter,” he says. “This compares directly with building activity for the December 2014 to February 2015 quarter where these two regions also made up 59 per cent of all residential construction activity. “When you dig below the surface further, it’s quite revealing. Auckland’s population is 34 per cent of New Zealand yet it registered 47 per cent of all vehicles, whereas Canterbury vehicle registrations are 13 per cent and identical to its population percentage. “Overall, Auckland beat the national growth figure with 17 per cent quarter-one increase on the same period last year. Christchurch matched it with 14 per cent. Wellington couldn’t keep up at 10 per cent growth and – while having 11 per cent of the population – only had eight per cent of vehicle registrations. “However, if we continue to grow at the current rate for the rest of the year, we will set a new record and surpass the 270,000 vehicles registered in 2005.” Quinn adds it’s also interesting to see what people are buying. In March, five of the six top-selling new vehicles were utes. “This gives real insight into what Kiwis want their vehicles for and the types of experiences we’re pursuing.”