Local ute sales grow as steeper Clean Car penalties loom

Friday, 2 June 2023

Top ten best selling vehicles in NZ - May 2023

The Ford Ranger has continued its march at the top of New Zealand’s new car registration figures, leading the market in the month of May.

According to data released by the Motor Industry Association, a total of 983 Rangers were registered locally in May – narrowly edging the Toyota RAV4 (860) and Hilux (746) to lead the market.

Ranger, Hilux, and Mitsubishi Triton registrations all grew month-on-month. The Triton (360) ended May in eighth overall, trailing the Mitsubishi Outlander (452), Suzuki Swift (403), MG ZS (391), and the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (363).

The Hyundai Tucson (233) and Hyundai Kona (229) rounded out the top 10 for the month.

Sales of the three most popular pick-ups in the country grew in May.

A total of 13,356 new vehicles were registered in May, representing a significant 23.8% lift relative to the 10,177 new vehicles registered in April.

The increase in registrations may signal customer and industry reaction to the announcement of new, more severe Clean Car Discount penalties for high-emitting vehicles in early May, with the changes set to come into effect on July 1.

New Zealand’s best-selling passenger car of 2022, the Outlander, was fourth on the totem in May.

The Ford Ranger XLT 2.0-litre for example, the most popular Ranger variant, will see its Clean Car levy grow from $1,840 to approximately $4,485 once these changes arrive. Rangers fitted with Ford’s 3.0-litre V6 diesel also cop a severe jump, from $3,910 to approximately $6,555.

The changes to the Clean Car scheme will also have a big impact on hybrids, many of which will go from qualifying for a rebate to being fee neutral. The aforementioned Toyota RAV4 and Suzuki Swift are amongst the most impacted in this regard.

The Toyota RAV4 was the number one hybrid and number one passenger vehicle in May.

Although it missed out on a podium berth, Mitsubishi will have relished its strong May. Having struggled to replicate its best-selling form of 2022 so far this year, the three diamonds were the only brand to get three nameplates in the outright top 10.

The BYD Atto 3 narrowly missed out on a top 10 berth for May, clocking 223 registrations. The Chinese crossover continues to lead the electric vehicle market, with Tesla recording a quiet May by comparison. The Atto 3’s nearest rivals were the MG ZS EV (204) and Hyundai Ioniq 5 (120).

On a wider level, 1,217 pure EVs were registered in May, along with 727 PHEVs, and 2,534 traditional hybrids; the latter segments led by the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross and Toyota RAV4.

Year-to-date, the Ford Ranger leads the Toyota Hilux and RAV4, 4,894 registrations to 3,878 and 2,531 registrations respectively.

Having owned 21% of combined market share in May, Toyota continues to be the country’s most popular brand year-to-date by a significant margin, with 19% of new vehicles sold across the first five months of the year wearing a Toyota badge.