Not unexpectedly the commencement of the Clean Car Standard on April 1, 2022 in New Zealand had a dramatic impact of the sale of new vehicles, and Utes in particular.
The Motor Industry Association of New Zealand (MIA) says 9756 new-vehicle registrations for April made it the lowest month for new-vehicle registrations made it the weakest April since 2015 (barring April 2020, which saw the introduction of New Zealand’s first COVID-19 lockdown).
Representing the new vehicle retail industry in New Zealand, MIA chief executive David Crawford says registrations for light commercial vehicles fell by 72%.
“It is the first time on over a decade that a Ute has not made it to the top three in the monthly registrations”.
The top selling Ute for the month, the Ford Ranger, ended up in sixth place. Crawford believes that Ute registrations are most likely to rebound later in the year.
“It is anticipated sales of Utes will gradually recover as the year progresses,” he says.
April’s low Ute sales are attributable to dealers around the country pre-registering their stock prior to the introduction of the second round of Clean Car Discount measures, which in this case included levies for high-emission vehicles.
As pre-registered stock begins to run dry, Utes are tipped to return to their previous dominant market position. The Mitsubishi Outlander was the top selling new vehicle in New Zealand for April ahead of the Toyota RAV4, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, Honda Jazz, and Suzuki Swift.
Crawford says a large percentage of the registrations in April could be attributed to hybrid vehicles which are now eligible for a discount. The RAV4, Jazz, and Swift are all available with some form of HEV powertrain, as are the Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Ioniq, which ended the month eighth and ninth, respectively.
The MIA reports that 2145 hybrids were registered in April, with the market led by the RAV4 (525 units), the Jazz (461), and the Corolla (198).
It’s a welcome return to the pointy end of the market for the all-new Jazz in New Zealand, which receives one of the most significant rebates for any non-plug-in vehicle.
