Record year for new passenger vehicles

It has been another record-breaking year for registrations of new passenger vehicles after 116,370 units were sold in 2022.

This was up 3.9 per cent from the previous record of 112,014 set in 2021, according to the full-year statistics published by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.

Last year’s total was a substantial improvement from 80,849 units in 2020, when Covid-19 restrictions were at their peak, and also topped the now third-highest annual total of 108,616 set in 2017.

Mitsubishi’s Outlander, pictured, defended its position as New Zealand’s most popular car with 9,105 sales and 7.8 per cent of the market.

Second spot again went to Toyota’s RAV4 with 5,863 and five per cent, with Tesla’s Model Y third with 4,226 registrations and 3.6 per cent.

Mitsubishi also took out the honour of top marque with 17,257 units and 14.8 per cent of the market.

It finished the year just ahead of Toyota, which had 17,003 registrations for 14.6 per cent of activity. Kia was third on 11,171 and 9.6 per cent.

Final flourish

There were 8,505 new passenger vehicles registered in December, an increase of 12.4 per cent when compared with the 7,566 units sold in the same month of the previous year.

The top model was Tesla’s Model Y with 868 units for a 10.2 per cent share of the market, and the marque’s Model 3 was second on 413 units for and 4.9 per cent.

Completing the top five was the MG ZS, Suzuki Swift and Outlander with 396, 367 and 336 sales respectively.

Tesla was the best-selling marque last month with its 1,281 cars registered accounting for 15.1 per cent of the market.

Next on the list was Toyota with 1,193 and 14 per cent. Mitsubishi was third on 981 sales, followed by Suzuki with 695 and Hyundai on 496.