Passenger vehicle growth and commercial decline in February

The New Zealand new vehicle market in February saw passenger vehicle registrations climb significantly. However, the commercial vehicle market fell compared with February 2024. 

New passenger vehicle registrations were up almost 18 per cent to 7008 units, but the commercial segment fell by nearly 25 per cent to 2796 vehicles. 

Toyota led the way with passenger sales, retailing 1518 units, taking 22 per cent of overall market share. Mitsubishi followed, with 781 registrations, and Kia claimed third place, registering 674 units. MG saw the strongest percentage growth, almost doubling sales to 429 units.

Declines were noted for Suzuki (down 17 per cent), Ford (off 31 per cent), and Hyundai (posting a 24 per cent decrease). 

BYD registrations surged by 187 per cent, and Polestar put strong runs on the board as it cleared out its stock of Polestar 2s.

Toyota’s RAV4 remained New Zealand’s most popular new passenger model, with 719 new registrations, well up on last year’s figures. Mitsubishi Outlander took second place with 426 units, while the Kia Seltos followed in third with 285 sold. ASX and ZS rounded out the top five.

Commercial sales slowed in February

Registrations fell by 24.7 per cent to 2796 units, down from 3711 units in February 2024. Toyota retained the top spot with 785 units, despite a 13 per cent fall. 

Ford, which dominated the segment last year, slipped 42 per cent to 634 units. Mitsubishi and Nissan also recorded declines but LDV more than doubled its registrations.

BYD was a standout, as the Shark 6 pick-up recorded 178 sales, further establishing itself in the competitive ute market.

Hilux regained the top spot with 601 units, pipping Ranger, sales of which fell 45 per cent year on year to 526 units. 

Triton retained third position with 265 units, followed by the BYD Shark 6. The Toyota Hiace was the most popular van with 143 sales.