New vehicle sales finished on a high at the end of 2017, with December numbers rounding out a record 159,871 registrations.
Toyota remained the most popular manufacturer with 32,282 registrations topping the passenger and commercial vehicle charts with 19 and 22 per cent respectively. Ford, previously number one on the commercial list, finished overall on 11 per cent market share while Holden closed out the top three with 9 per cent.
The top five selling vehicles came as no surprise as they mimic 2016 with little movement:
1) Ford Ranger
With the battle of the big guns, the Ford Ranger has held its position as New Zealand’s top selling vehicle with an impressive 9420 new vehicle registrations. Last month the Ford Ranger also took home the Best in Class - Utility trophy at the New Zealand Car of the Year awards, a title it has claimed for a number of years now. With results like this, the Rangers recipe is something that automakers should be paying particular attention to.
2) Toyota Hilux
By any measure other than its Ford rival, the new-generation Hilux is an amazing success story with 8106 registrations, up 31% from 2016. Over the years Hilux has become a byword for versatility and reliability the world over. Here in New Zealand this rugged truck is the perfect partner for our go-anywhere, do-anything ethos. As the Kiwi love affair for the ute continues, the battle between the Hilux and the Ranger is worth keeping an eye on for the coming months.
3) Toyota Corolla
Toyota will no doubt be celebrating having maintained its position as the market leader in passenger vehicles in 2017 with the ever popular Corolla. Since its launch of the KE10 in 1967, Kiwis have bought more than 253,000 Corollas - not bad for fifty years of reliability. Last year saw another 7797 additional Corollas join New Zealand roads, the majority being rentals.
4) Toyota Rav4
The RAV4 led the small SUV crusade in New Zealand after its launch in 1994. It started a shift in NZ car-buying habits from standard sedans and wagons to a raft of road-focussed SUVs. With registration numbers hitting 4629, Toyota is now reaping the rewards with the claims of ‘New Zealand’s favourite SUV’.
5) Holden Colorado
Closing out the top five is the beautiful Holden Colorado, yes that’s right another ute! Hitting registrations of 4489 (up 20% from last year), the new Colorado represents a huge step forward from the previous model. We’re excited to see how it stacks up and whether it has the goods to go head on with the big boys in 2018.
Vehicle segmentation for the year of 2017 followed a similar trend to 2016 with four of the top five segments taken up by SUVs and light commercial vehicles. The top two segments for the year were SUV medium vehicles with 17 per cent share followed by the Pick Up/Chassis Cab 4x4 segment with 14 per cent. Small cars slotted in the middle with 12 per cent share while SUV large and SUV compact segments round out the top five spots with 11 per cent each of the market.
With records continuing to fall and New Zealand’s appetite for SUV and commercial vehicles continually on the rise, 2018 is sure going to be one to keep an eye on.