CCD uncertainty hits market
Sales of new vehicles in New Zealand last month came in at 10,909, which was down by 26.7 per cent when compared to 14,878 in September 2022.
Aimee Wiley, chief executive of the Motor Industry Association, describes market conditions as staying “soft” last month.
September’s result was also 20 per cent lower than the monthly average for 2022 of 13,641 units and 12.4 per cent lower than the monthly average so far this year.
Wiley, pictured, says: “September’s result is likely caused by both tougher economic conditions and continued uncertainty for the future of the clean car discount, currently hinging on the upcoming election result.
“Such uncertainty considerably impacted consumer demand in September. It comes as no surprise that product attracting rebates accelerated significantly, while demand for product attracting fees slumped.”
There was a “significant shift toward electrification” last month. When it came to battery electric vehicles (BEVs), 2,029 units were sold. The top models were Tesla’s Model Y on 697 the MG 4 with 250 and BYD’s Atto 3 on 136.
“A spike in consumer demand resulted in the BEV segment share jumping from an average of 13.9 per cent (since January 2022) to a staggering 24.9 per cent in September,” notes Wiley.
As for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), 768 units were registered last month. The top two models were Mitsubishis – the Outlander on 220 units and Eclipse Cross with 157. Third spot went to the Mini Countryman with 69.
PHEVs comprised 9.4 per cent of the light-passenger segment in September, up from a prior average of 6.7 per cent.
There were 2,190 hybrids sold for a 26.9 per cent share of last month’s light-passenger segment – up from a prior average of 19.3 per cent. The top three models were Toyota’s RAV4 with 495, the Corolla on 269 and Ford’s Escape on 154 units.
September’s top-two segments were medium SUVs with a market share of 28.9 per cent share and compact SUVs on 18.9 per cent. The small to medium-sized segments made up 64.4 per cent of last month’s total market.
