Storms setback for sales

The total number of new vehicles sold in February – 9,541 units – was down by 23.7 per cent and 2,960 registrations compared to the same month of 2022. 

It was the lowest February total since 2014, reports the Motor Industry Association (MIA), and came on the back of recent floods and disruption caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Chief executive David Crawford, pictured, says: “The recent weather events on the back of softening economy were a double whammy for the new-vehicle sector in February. 

“While we expect demand in coming months to increase to replace those written off, high inflation combined with logistical delays due to road infrastructure creates a degree of uncertainty in the market.” 

Toyota retained the overall market lead with an 18 per cent share and 1,688 units. It was followed by Ford with 12 per cent and 1,187 units, and Suzuki on eight per cent and 768 units.

There were 773 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) – eight of which were heavy, 354 plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and 1,237 hybrid vehicles sold in February.

“Registrations of BEVs were softer than the last quarter of 2022,” remarks Crawford. “However, registrations of non-plug-in hybrids remain strong.” 

February’s top three BEVs were the BYD Atto3 with 143 units, MG’s ZS on 104 and Tesla’s Model Y with 95 units. Mitsubishi’s Eclipse Cross was the best-selling PHEV on 170. It was followed by Kia’s Sorento on 32 units and Ford’s Escape with 23 units.

Last month’s top hybrid was the Suzuki Swift with 171 registrations. The Honda Jazz came second on 151 and the Toyota RAV4 was third with 122. 

February’s most popular segment was compact SUVs with a market share of 19 per cent of the market. It was followed by medium SUVs with 18 per cent. Next up was the pick-up/chassis 4x4 segment also on 18 per cent. The small to medium segments comprised 58 per cent of last month’s total market. 

In addition, there were 599 registrations of heavy commercials during February, which was up from 565 in the same month of 2022.