The trusted voice of the industry
for more than 30 years

New cars surging ahead

Year-to-date figures are 53.3 per cent higher than a year ago after July delivered another bumper month.
Posted on 03 August, 2021
New cars surging ahead

There were 9,984 new cars sold last month compared to 8,200 in July 2020 – an increase of 21.8 per cent.

It took the year-to-date total to 67,660, which is 53.3 per cent higher than the 44,145 at the same stage in 2020.

The best-selling model was Mitsubishi’s ASX, pictured, on 737 units for a market share of 7.4 per cent. This represented a 178 per cent jump in its sales compared to 265 in the same month of last year.

Toyota’s RAV4 was second with a 5.5 per cent market share thanks to 553 registrations, although its monthly tally fell 30.5 per cent from 796 a year ago.

Mitsubishi’s Outlander notched up 365 units for a 65.9 per cent rise from 220 for a 3.7 per cent share.

The Mazda CX-5 secured 305 sales for fourth place. Next up was the Nissan Qashqai with 293 units.

As for marques, Mitsubishi topped the ladder with 1,435 sales, which was up from 658 – or by 118.1 per cent –compared to July 2020. It now has a year-to-date total of 8,345, equivalent to 12.3 per cent of the market. 

Toyota was second with 1,357 – down from 1,416 and by 4.2 per cent. However, it has sold the most cars year-to-date with 8,846 for a share of 13.1 per cent. 

Suzuki rounded out the top three with a 49.5 per cent jump from 529 to 791 registrations, which gives it 5,055 sales so far in 2021.

All the regions in the North Island reported increases in new car sales in July compared to the same month a year ago, while in contrast only Blenheim and Christchurch made gains in the South Island.

Rotorua enjoyed the biggest climb, with sales up 107.1 per cent from 98 to 203.

In the main centres, Auckland’s figures were 24.5 per cent higher with 4,238 sales compared to 3,403 in July 2020.

Over the same timeframe, Wellington’s numbers grew 35.8 per cent from 729 to 990, while Christchurch recorded a 37.3 per cent increase from 813 to 1,116.