Economic conditions hit sales

Sales of new vehicles across the Tasman got off to a sluggish start in 2025 with registrations in January coming to 86,804 for a year-on-year drop of 3.3 per cent.

Tony Weber, of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, says current economic conditions remain a major consideration for consumers in all market segments.

“Sales of hybrids and plug-in hybrids continued to grow,” he adds. “They now represent 17.1 and 2.2 per cent of sales respectively.

“However, sales of battery electric vehicles were remarkably low. Based on data from all sources, EVs accounted for 4.4 per cent of sales – the lowest since October 2022.”

Toyota’s RAV4, pictured, was Australia’s top-selling vehicle in January on 5,076 units. It was followed by the Ford Ranger with 4,254, Toyota Hilux on 3,302, Toyota Prado on 2,847 and Mitsubishi Outlander with 2,090.