Import numbers slide
There were 6,193 used passenger vehicles imported last month, a drop of 14.2 per cent from July when 7,218 units crossed our borders.
August’s figure was also down by 39.7 per cent from 10,265 units in the same month of 2023.
The year-to-date total for 2024 is now 64,948 – down 16.5 per cent compared with 77,783 at the same time last year, according to the figures from Customs NZ.
Last month, 6,026 units were imported from Japan for a 97.3 per cent share of the market. Australia was next with 94 units, followed by the US on 36, the UK with 18 and Singapore on 12.
As for used light commercials, 262 crossed the border in August to bring the year-to-date total to 2,541. That figure is down by 11.6 per cent from 2,874 by the same time last year.
Last month’s figure was 5.6 per cent higher than the 248 units imported in July this year but down 38.2 per cent from 424 in August 2023.
New-vehicle market
As for new passenger vehicles, there were 7,205 units brought into New Zealand last month.
August’s tally means 59,119 vehicles have come in so far in 2024, which is an increase of 12 per cent on the 52,820 units over the same period a year ago.
Last month’s figure was down by 22.6 per cent from July when the monthly total was 9,313 new cars, and it was also 23.3 per cent lower than August 2023’s tally when there were 9,399 units.
Japan was the main country of export with 2,500 units followed by South Korea with 1,263. Next up was Thailand on 1,128, China with 617, Germany with 434, Spain on 307 and Belgium with 203.
For new light commercials, there were 1,714 units imported in August, a drop of 40.6 per cent from 2,884 in the same month a year ago.
The total was also down 30 per cent from the 2,447 units in July this year.
It took the year-to-date figure to 14,944 units, which is 18.1 per cent fewer than the 18,244 recorded over the same period of 2023.
Overall, 15,785 vehicles, including trucks and buses, crossed our border in August. This was down from 19,961 in the previous month.
