Fieldays boosts new vehicle sales for June

Toyota led the pack in top vehicle sales last month, says the Motor Industry Association.

New Zealand new vehicle sales rose to their highest level for a June month for 34 years, helped by demand at the National Agricultural Fieldays.

Registrations climbed 5.1 per cent to 13,699 in June, the highest level for the month since 1982 and the second-highest for any month on record, according to the Motor Industry Association.

Commercial vehicle registrations rose 13 per cent to 4513, the highest ever recorded for a June month, while passenger vehicle registrations gained 1.9 per cent to 9186.

New Zealand vehicle sales have hit annual records for the past two years, and so far this year sales are tracking 5.3 per cent ahead of the same period last year, bolstered by a growing economy amid record tourism and migration. Commercial vehicle sales for the month were aided by demand at the agricultural Fieldays in Hamilton, with sales surpassing 4000 for the third time on record, with the other two occasions in 2014 and 2015 also occurring in June due to Fieldays.

"Distributors that attended the annual Fieldays reported healthy demand for new vehicles," MIA chief executive David Crawford said.

"Other factors that are key drivers of new vehicles are record levels of net immigration, healthy trade sector and strong business confidence."

The four top-selling models for June were all light commercial vehicles, reflecting continued strong demand for 4x2 and 4x4 utes, the MIA said. The three top-selling passenger models for the month were all SUVs.

Japanese carmaker Toyota was the overall market leader for the month, with a 19 per cent market share, followed by Ford with 11 per cent and Holden with 9 per cent, the MIA said.

- BusinessDesk