Sales of new passenger cars continued at a feverish pace in May, reaching a record for the month of May at 10,012.
This extends a string of records that began in February.
Obviously the year-on-year gains aren't so relevant, but May 2021 compared to May 2019 is up 31%, and compared to May 2018 (the previous record) it is 8% higher. Sales for the first five months of 2021 are also the strongest on record.
This is actually even better than it sounds, given that sales into rental fleets remain very low.
SUV's grabbed a 75% share, and while not a record, it is at the very upper end. Within those SUV sales, those in the luxury category were at an all-time record level for any month.
The most popular passenger vehicle sold in May was the Toyota RAV4.
But the largest seller of any model was a ute, the Ford Ranger. Commercial vehicle sales were not as strong as 2018 and 2019, but back up to more normal levels after the pandemic dive in 2020.
The same is true of used car imports with 11,257 sold in May 2021, although that's 8% less than May 2019, and 16% below May 2018.
There were 276 new pure electric vehicles sold in May, 120 new PHEVs (plug-in hybrids), and 1,232 new hybrid cars sold in May 2021. That's a 16% share of all new car sales. This category is rising but only as fast as the sales of internal combustion engine vehicles.
New vehicles sold
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27 Comments
"The most popular passenger vehicle sold in May was the Toyota RAV4."
...and yet I can't even picture one in my head. Cars are all evolving toward a nexus of meh.
Can't travel overseas, might as well tick up a flash status symbol. Great way to make perceived equity evaporate but bodes well for those of us who see no shame in buying a 3-5 year old car.
It's a mid-sized SUV that is larger than an UrbanCruiser but smaller than the Kluger. A Toyota is typically a good choice for reliability because of TPS, it's not surprising they are popular.
Obviously the public aren't buying this "climate crisis" if they are picking SUVs and Utes over economical cars. James Shaw will be very disappointed with them.
The EV numbers are highly distorted as Tesla shipments don’t reach NZ customers until the final month of the quarter (which is June) - they are built in China/US in the first month of the quarter, then spend another month getting here by ship, and then are delivered in the 3rd month. Same thing happens every single quarter. In fact the Tesla carrier arrived a few days ago and several hundred model 3 cars rolled off onto Auckland wharf, and all but 20 were pre-sold (there are currently 20 model 3 sitting as inventory sitting on Tesla’s website for immediate delivery).
Househunter. Agreed. I'd add comfort and the simple joy of new and improved technology. Then there is old fart syndrome that says I'll be dead soon enough, this may be my last car, don't give a rats about depreciation. Ordered a new Toyota SUV recently, delivery Christmas. The salesman looked sniffily down his nose at me, take it or leave it, plenty more queuing up to buy them.
Note that I was replying to TTP who recommended buying a "used banger" which sounds a little different to your choice. For sure it's possible to buy a great lightly used vehicle. That's assuming what you want is available, hasn't been pranged, and has a good service record.
Still, even 2-3 years can make a difference. My 2019 vehicle has much better safety features than the 2016 one it replaced (both same make & model). Won't always be the case, but tech is still moving along. I expect my next vehicle to be safer, more reliable, and more efficient than my current one.
Happy driving!
New cars are great when you get to the point in life you have loads of cash and no longer want to get your own hands dirty working on it because it constantly needs things done on it. Been there and done that and waiting for a particular Subaru to be released. Nothing to do on a new car for like 5 years just the oil and filter changes and piece of mind motoring when your out in the middle of nowhere. Its an age thing, spend that cash you cannot take it with you when you die.
Hybrids are indeed a small segment but as fuel prices increase as they likely will they deserve consideration.I replaced my ageing Honda Accord with a Toyota Crown, same size engine slightly larger than the Honda which returned 8-10 Kms/100K , the Crown averages 25/30Kms per Ltr or 3.5-5 Kms/100K for those mathematically challenged. I reckon the new Honda Jazz Hybrid with sub 2L/100Kms will be a big hit in NZ for the older driver and the city commuter.
I bought my first ever used car last month.
Bought my first car brand new when I was 20 (a new Mitsubishi Lancer), because I wanted something reliable and cheap to run for university and I was flush with cash after a few years milking cows.
Now have changed careers and decided I didn’t really need a Ford Ranger anymore and didn’t see anything else that interested me new, so bought a tidy used import Subaru boy racer car... 300hp turbo engine, fancy aftermarket suspension and all the rest. Noisy and rough riding but wow is it fun to drive after driving nothing but diesel utes for the last 10 years or so!
Amazingly I bought the Ranger new in 2016 for $52k, and used prices have gone up so dramatically I will probably still expect $42k for it when I get it up on TradeMe in the next couple of weeks!
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