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2013 new vehicle registrations are the highest since 1984, exceeding 113,000

2013 new vehicle registrations are the highest since 1984, exceeding 113,000
Function beats flash in New Zealand markets, but SUVs are the main new car segment

Out of every 20 new cars sold in New Zealand in 2013, seven were Toyotas.

Toyota dominates the local car market.

In fact, it has dominated new car sales here for 26 straight years, according to NZTA registration data out today from the Motor Industry Assocation.

New car dealers have had a good year, their best since 1984 (when a certain Prime Minister was trying - unsuccessfully it turned out - to buy another election).

That it has taken almost 30 years since to get back close to those sales levels says a lot about how we have pushed car sales back into a relively minor place in the our wish list. Cars are now funtionary devices, rather than status symbols they once were.

How else can you explain why Toyota tops the sales charts?

In fact, their dominance is accentuated by realising that Ford is in second place selling 7,134 new vehicles to Toyota's 16,172.

In the luxury car segment BMW took first place with 1,907 sales ahead of Audi (1,820) and Mercedes-Benz (1,482).

December used car sales numbers are not out yet, but when they are they will likely show that we bought many more of them than new cars. Even without the December volumes, imported used cars outsold twelve months of new ones.

Despite the good year for cars, it was a great year for new commercials. Sales of these were up a remarkable 29% reflecting growing business confidence.

Over all categories of new vehicles, SUVs shone, and a boy-racer made #4 on the list.

1st Toyota Corolla 5,993
2nd Toyota Hilux - SUV 5,041
3rd Ford Ranger - SUV 4,924
4th Suzuki Swift 2,968
5th Holden Commodore 2,761
6th Toyota Rav4 - SUV 2,739

New vehicles sold

Select chart tabs

Source: NZTA
Source: NZTA
Source: NZTA
Source: NZTA
Source: NZTA
Source: NZTA
Source: NZTA
Source: NZTA

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6 Comments

Meanwhile bloomberg reports aussie car sales in record fall.

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Love my Toymota, they just keep ticking along.

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They can have even bigger smile if they can combine their purchase with the Australian distributor.  Take this example:

in Aust: VW Golf 7 DSG; with stamp duty and rego tax: $23000 driveaway and that is roughly 25000 NZD

in NZ, same car $34000

 

 

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Looked into that once. Currently Australian VW special on manual 90Kw Golf 7 -  A$25000. (Haven't seen a DSG one for 23K, they're normally more)

Add in shipping: approx  $1500 + fees + insurance + NZTA checks on arrival, where some hamfisted twit pulls the interior apart looking for crash damage, even though it's brand new, then add in  GST (or GST difference), exchange rate, then factoring in 1 year less warranty (only 2 years' manufactures warranty, the 3rd year is covered by the NZ distributor for NZ new vehicles only)

Fix the dints that the will happen during freighting, and pay everyone else who seems to want to clip the ticket on the way.

 

May as well talk the local dealer down slightly from the $32000 price here.

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I think you missed the point. They should be sold new in NZ, by the dealer at a comparable price. 

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you're missing my point; new cars in NZ could have been way cheaper than it is now.  But here goes:

http://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/details/Volkswagen-Golf-2013/AGC-AD-1…

 

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