The SUV takeover

February vehicle sales data brings a whole new set of records. And SUV's now account for a stunning share of new car sales

3rd Mar 17, 9:14am by David Chaston

For the first time ever, the number of new vehicles sold in a 12 month period has just pushed through 150,000.

And for the first time ever, the market share for SUV's has hit 39.5%.

New Zealanders are buying new cars are at a record rate.

In February, more than 8,000 new cars were sold, a new February record.

And 3,733 commercial vehicles were sold in the month. That is not only a new February record, it is the sixteenth month in a row that monthly records have been set for commercial vehicle sales. It is the light end of the commercial market driving this volume; the tradie fad for having the newest ute.

The SUV market data continues to impress the most however. That 39.5% market share is of the total vehicle market of cars and commercial vehicles.

In February, 4,654 SUVs were sold and that represents an incredible 57.8% of the passenger car market.

There were 1,346 compact SUVs sold in February, 1,842 in the median category, 1,403 in the large category, and another 63 in the luxury 'bling' category. Most SUVs are on grocery or school pickup duties.

In contrast 3,150 cars were sold in the month, and 2,689 pick-ups.

None of these February details includes used imports. That data is yet to be released, but we expect at least another 12,000 sales in February taking the annual total to 151,000. That means in the past year, we will have added more than 300,000 new vehicles to our fleet, the first time that level has ever been reached. And we are also now close to the sales of new vehicles exceeding used imports, something we haven't seen since 2009.

The most popular

Toyota was the market leader for passenger and SUV registrations with 12% market share (991 units) followed by Mazda with 9% (755 units) and Holden with 8% market share (654 units).

In the commercial sector, Toyota was again the market leader with 20% (747 units) followed by Ford with 19% (713 units) and Holden with 10% market share (364 units).

The Ford Ranger remains at the top of the bestselling vehicle model table with 664 units. The Toyota Hilux was the second bestselling model for the month of February with 533 units followed by the Holden Colorado with 351 units. The Hyundai Tucson was the top selling rental model for the month of February with 63 units.

New vehicles sold

Select chart tabs

Source: NZTA

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19 Comments

by firsthomecryer | 3rd Mar 17, 9:58am 1488488310

Seriously, what is wrong with people?

by rastus1 | 3rd Mar 17, 10:39am 1488490776

SUV adds. Rocky roads, Sothern Alps, fording rivers and chasing snow......gotta have one....so I can sit in Auck traffic and dream that I'm out there doin it! Pretenders.

by Kate | 3rd Mar 17, 11:00am 1488492047

LOL. And all at a time of rising concern regarding climate change. But, I wonder whether the SUV upwards trend might have something to do with safety-thinking. Seems to me the road toll is worsening - near daily reports of multiple fatalities has folks going for the biggest vehicles available as a means to protect their families?

by David Chaston | 3rd Mar 17, 2:40pm 1488505246

The numer of fatalities are not really going up. See details here and chart here.

What is happening however is that the absolute numbers of people dying has stopped falling.

The rate/100,000 population is still falling however.

by Kate | 3rd Mar 17, 3:25pm 1488507949

I had wondered whether I was simply more aware of fatalities as a result of getting most of my news online these days - looks like that is the case. Glad to see the stats don't match my perception. Thanks!

by David Chaston | 3rd Mar 17, 4:16pm 1488510971

The interesting thing is, fatalities are now relatively rare so they actually qualify as 'news'. Go back a few years and reporting road carnage was really a public service to get people and policy makers to do something effective about the waste.

Now, dying or serious injury is rare. Even ACC is able to drastically reduce premiums for traffic accident exposure. This is commercial proof about relative road safety. We now tolerate bad driving behaviour far less.

Still there is a lot more that can be done. NZ's record is of dramatic improvement, but still the comparison with other similar countries does not look too good. Investment in road engineering has been the main low-hanging fruit. And this is where the most benefits will come from in the future. Separating main roads has saved thousands over the decades. Doing more will save more lives. In-car engineering features have also been a massive help.

So in the end, each major accident now really is 'new' and unusual.

by Boatman | 3rd Mar 17, 10:31am 1488490311

@firsthomecryer .......Precisely , if you can keep your head when everyone around you is losing theirs , you will be okay.

Its a combination of factors causing this:-

Cheap vehicle finance
Finance co's willing to throw it around
Borrower over-confidence
Over exuberance about how well we are doing
Using unrealized gains from the Auckland housing boom to finance the SUV
Borrowing yourself into hock to fund gas guzzling 4x4 vehicles for all our terrible unsealed roads
Keeping up with the Joneses
Tradies thinking the good times will last forever .

by firsthomecryer | 3rd Mar 17, 11:02am 1488492159

SUV's... for round the corner school dropoffs owned by people who actively want to throw their money away.

by dtcarter | 3rd Mar 17, 10:56am 1488491765

Most SUVs these days are just normal cars with bigger wheels.

by Too clever by half | 3rd Mar 17, 11:40am 1488494444

Yes the ancap safety rating is a factor,.Those cheap to run Suzuki swifts and the like always come off second best in an accident. Tradies always upgrade as older vechiles chew up huge repair bills ie,head gaskets etc.People also want the extra space as can't fit much in a raisin box on wheels. And nothing like a good back seat that folds right down.

by delboy | 3rd Mar 17, 12:20pm 1488496847

Most diesel SUVs these days are very economical so the gas guzzling label is no longer relevant. Unless of course it's a naturally aspirated SRT Grand Cherokee with a 6.4l hemi which is beast.

by fender bender | 3rd Mar 17, 2:12pm 1488503542

I wonder if the franchise dealer debt / loan schemes for these vehicles (i.e. where Nissan, Toyota etc, provide the finance for the purchase themselves) has been factored into the house hold debt equations being bandied around? Or is it "grey debt" that will come to the surface and bite when times get tough down the track. Look at the graph leading up to 2008. This time round it's grown even more pronounced.

by dictator | 3rd Mar 17, 3:16pm 1488507387

I'm pretty sure consumer debt like car loans are included in the RBNZ household debt.

by Yoda | 3rd Mar 17, 3:15pm 1488507352

SUV safety is overrated when you take into account the rollover factor. I’ve seen accidents where the car got a dent and the SUV ended up on its roof – the car driver walked away and the SUV driver got a ride to hospital.
There have been studies reporting that children are actually more likely to be injured if they’re in a SUV that’s involved in a crash, than if they’re in a car. But there are also studies reporting the child injury rates are about the same for cars and SUVs.
Of course none of these studies are NZ based, and differing vehicle body type mixes around the world could alter the results.

by Firstclass | 3rd Mar 17, 5:58pm 1488517136

Unless of course you own a Ford Mustang, which with a 2 star safety rating sadly is a death trap.

by Casual Observer | 3rd Mar 17, 6:28pm 1488518925

Mustangs seem to be very popular among some baby boomers trying to re-live the days of their youth. Surprising really as the safety rating is so low.

by Alter Ego | 3rd Mar 17, 7:21pm 1488522097

Our Local petrol station owner has one....probably a petrol head and the reason why his price per liter....is so high....Gotta luv these guys who want you to pay...for their lifestyle.

Boycott like the plague is my reaction....with people like this.

by Steptoe | 6th Mar 17, 8:00am 1488740426

"Mustangs seem to be very popular among some baby boomers trying to re-live the days of their youth. Surprising really as the safety rating is so low"

Typical ignorant comment by someone who has yet to learn to wipe their nose .
BBs didnt sit with a screen in their hand.. they worked ahard and long.. went surfing , fishing, racing, hiking , huntings.. doing most of the above. Then when the kids get older, or have left home, they can then afford to go back and do those things that best interested them properly, when younger.
That 'middle aged crisis ' thing is a myth
Basically comes down, envy, want now BS from keyboard warriors who need to step out the front door once in a while.

As safety ratings... They dont drive like idiots, and if do do so under controlled track conditions, dont tail gate, speed but simply enjoy the cruise..
Funny how the data show classic cars as these have very few accidents , and injury death rates near nil....
Safe sensible , defensive driving is far more effective than safety standards
And as to economy/ emissions.. not always but usually, these cars have been upgraded..including high ratio gears...what this means is that a 350ci (5.4L) 1960s V8 will cruise with better numbers than a modern 3.8L V6.. in fact our Chev is cheaper and more economical with better than a 2L or a 3L diesel that tows the boat.
As to economy of modern SUV.. actually do the maths over measured distances ( not odometer) and mid 90s 3.0 L near identical to modern SUVs.. the difference comes when towing. Modern SUVs have far better gearing technology.
Again the safety factor.. well ultimately doesnt come down to safety rating.. comes down to driving style...

Once again we see so many comments above, made from what ppl have been told sitting behind a keyboard, not from actual reality being out there and doing it.
The above is NOT opinion.. it is real life beyond the front door reality.

by Andrewj | 6th Mar 17, 8:27am 1488742065

I rented one, not intentionally admittedly. Budget typed the wrong fast track number into the system. I got upgraded to a Mustang convertible because they thought I worked for Ford. Had it for a weekend, Drove home and picked up wifey/thingy, squeezed as many kids in as we could in the back (reluctantly) and went for a drive in the mountains, then took wife down to Calistoga wine country coast had a blast, but build quality was poor, chrome peeling off plastic etc on near new car, we loved our weekend would do it again tomorrow.
My mate at the DEA repossessed a hot corvette from some meth outfit, on the way home he got clocked at 120, even he found that a hard one to talk his way out of.
Miss California lots, as do my children. Just not the drugs,crime and unemployment, empty shops etc. The rich in the States have a great live just don't fall off the wagon.