Kia sales boosted

Affordable Kia Cerato. Photo / Supplied

New Zealand's October new vehicle sales tallied under 7000 for the first time in a decade, with a 26 per cent drop over the same month last year.

The big mover was Kia, with sales up 142 per cent. This year was boosted by new model releases and what Kia NZ general manager Todd McDonald calls an increase in rational, not emotive buys.

Subaru saw a 47 per cent rise thanks to newly launched Legacy and Outback, while Holden had a good month with interest in the Cruze compact car and Commodore.

Toyota still tops the sales tables, with 30.5 per cent market share, followed by Ford, Holden and Mazda. Year-to-date figures show only Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Kia are up this year.