June 2023 was the biggest month on record for new vehicle sales

New figures from the Motor Industry Association (MIA) show that June 2023 was the biggest month on record in New Zealand for new vehicle sales.

Registrations soared to 23,560 last month which is 2556 more than the previous record month of March 2022.

This comes as no surprise with buyers flocking to dealerships to avoid changes to the Clean Car Discount scheme which saw fees increase and rebates decrease from July 1, 2023.

Overall new registrations are made up of 17,299 passenger vehicles and 6261 commercial vehicles. Passenger vehicle sales saw their highest month ever which was 97.5 per cent more than the monthly average year to date, while June 2023 was only the second biggest month for commercial vehicle registrations.

What were the top three models for June 2023?

The top three passenger cars for the month were the Toyota RAV4, Tesla Model Y, and the MG ZS.

In the commercial sector, the top three models were the Toyota Hilux (1703 units), Mitsubishi Triton (1011 units), and the Ford Ranger (975 units) which understandably sold well considering they each cop a heftier CCD fee from the start of July.

Who led the market in June 2023?

Toyota was the overall market leader for the month with 22.7 per cent market share, or 5343 vehicles, while Mitsubishi came in second with 12.3 per cent and Kia with 8.2 per cent.

Toyota NZ experienced its biggest month for new car sales in its nearly 60-year history last month, with almost half of them being electrified.

Fully electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and hybrids

A total of 2599 fully electric passenger vehicles, 23 light commercial vehicles, and 21 heavy commercial vehicles were registered in June. Among them, the top models were the Tesla Model Y with 765 units sold, the BYD Atto 3 with 440 units, and the MG ZS with 260 units. EVs made up 15 per cent of the overall light passenger segment for the month.

As for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), approximately 1318 new models were registered, with the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross being the most popular of them all with 498 examples registered. The Mitsubishi Outlander was the second most popular PHEV (257 units), followed by the Kia Niro (135 units). PHEVs made up 7.6 per cent of the overall light passenger segment in June.

Hybrids were understandably big sellers last month as most models would no longer qualify for rebates from the start of July. A total of 4279 units were registered, with the top model being the RAV4 at 983 units. The Toyota CH-R came in as the second most popular hybrid at 261 units registered, while the Kia Niro rounded out the top three with 135 units.

What was the most popular segment?

The most popular type of vehicle in June 2023 was the medium-sized SUV segment which boasted a 26 per cent share, followed by the compact SUV segment with 23 per cent, and finally the commercial segment with 15 per cent.