Last year had been a good year for sales as a result, though not as good as in the main centres, he said.
"New car sales were up hugely in the big centres. I don't think an increase to that level ever happened in the regions but, as with other things like property sales, what happens in Auckland usually happens six months later in the regions."
The dollar had made a massive difference to buyer confidence and sales, he said.
"The dollar was strong for most of last year. It's now taken a tumble which could mean cars get a little bit dearer moving forward, but that could change again tomorrow or next week."
NZME. regional motoring editor Colin Smith said record sales of new commercial vehicles had meant a strong year for car dealers.
Growth in the SUV market was particularly evident - nearly 30 per cent of the market was SUVs in 2014.
"More makes are 2WD, rather than 4WD, meaning they have lower running costs," he said. "It also comes down to the fact there's such a huge amount of SUVs now - almost every manufacturer makes SUVs.
"And they're a fashion thing. Commercials and families are buying them because they look good and have good features."
The large and medium car segment had become a smaller slice of the market, as a result, though Holden Commodore was the second biggest seller of the year, he said.
"Holden Commodores are still a popular car, though in general people are moving away from having larger cars."
The price of new cars had remained relatively static in the past five years, he said. "A vehicle that was $50K five years ago, will still be $50K now with a few more safety features so there's a perception of them having better value."
A catch up from the global financial crisis when businesses and individuals didn't renew their cars had also contributed to the strong 2014, he said.
