Record year for industry

Take your pick ... SUVs are leading the sales race, and the premium segment is expanding because a wider range of models is available.

Luxury models and SUVs leading the race as Kiwis buy more cars

December is looking likely to be the best month of the year for New Zealand's car industry, which expects to break sales records - including a 30-year annual sales mark.
Most brands are reporting record figures for the month.

The main battle is likely to be among Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz for top honours in the luxury segment, and between the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux in the utility segment.
Registrations for new vehicles rose 7.6 per cent to 11,176 in November from the same month a year earlier, said the Lower Hutt-based Motor Industry Association.

"With one month of 2014 to go, more new commercial vehicles have been sold than for any previous year," said the association's chief executive officer, David Crawford.

Audi and BMW have topped 2000 registrations, and the news is good for the industry overall.

"This is the first time in the 31-year presence of BMW in New Zealand as a national sales company that more than 2000 registrations have been achieved in a calendar year," said the managing director of BMW Group New Zealand, Nina Englert.

A factor in the growth of the premium segment is the increasing range of models available from manufacturers.

"Helping our success is that there's now a new BMW to satisfy every conceivable motoring need and want, from our entry 1 Series, all-new family-focused 2 Series Active Tourer, sports performance models from BMW M as well as a range of xDrive SUVs just perfect for the Kiwi lifestyle," said Englert.

In the commercial sector, the Ford Ranger is close to taking the top spot from the long-time Kiwi favourite Toyota Hilux.

The Ranger continues to stretch its lead as the top-selling commercial model with 17 per cent market share. It has sold 5626 units this year, followed closely by the Toyota Hilux with 5336.

Sports utility vehicles continue to be the strongest-selling segment with 28 per cent of all vehicle sales in November and 29 per cent for the year. They are followed by pick-ups/chassis-cabs with 20 per cent and small passenger cars at 18 per cent.

"The Motor Industry Association expects total new-vehicle registrations to top 125,000 units for 2014," Crawford said. "The previous best year was 1984 when 123,247 new vehicles were sold."