In spite of the recent COVID-19 Omicron variant outbreak in New Zealand, new vehicle registration for the month of February 2022 broke yet another record.
The NZ Transport Agency is reporting a total of 12,551 new vehicles registered, the most recorded yet in the month of February, and beating the previous record month by 62 vehicles.
However, February’s 7860 passenger vehicle registrations were middling compared to those recorded in the last 12 months as Kiwi dealers wait for subsidies to come into effect.
It’s worth noting that in New Zealand the month of February has a history of lacklustre passenger vehicle registrations, not once exceeding 10,000 units in the last six years.
On the flip-side, a total of 4871 commercial vehicles were registered, a 29% lift relative to February 2021. Ute demand remains strong as dealers move to register as much stock as they can before the government’s Clean Car Standard penalties come into effect.
The Ford Ranger was once again the most popular individual model in the country, leading both the commercial and overall charts. A total of 1111 Rangers were registered in February, a 38.1% lift year-on-year.
The Toyota Hilux was second, narrowly pipping the Mitsubishi Triton 890 registrations to 855.
Though utes locked out the top three spots overall, passenger vehicles still made up six of the top 10 spots. The best-selling of these was the Mitsubishi Outlander. It was fourth overall with 546 registrations.
It finished the month just ahead of the Tesla Model 3. After a supply shortage meant almost no Model 3s were registered in January the nameplate rebounded with 351 registrations in February, with high levels of interest in the model prompted by the government’s Clean Car Discount clearly still present.
Next was the Nissan Navara (301), the only other commercial in the top 10 overall. The Suzuki Swift (290), Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (281), Toyota RAV4 (270), and MG ZS (258) completed the top 10 positions.
Those to narrowly miss out on the top 10 include the Hyundai Kona (253), Isuzu D-Max (237), and Kia Stonic (237). Honda’s all-new Jazz, meanwhile, continues to be the brand’s best-selling model, ending February 2022 with 186 registrations.
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