Car imports at Ports of Auckland have plummeted since the world financial slump began.
Financial results reported by Ports of Auckland showed record container volumes but a big decline in vehicle imports.
Imports for the six months ended December 31 were down 23.7 per cent on
the previous year.
Ports company managing director Jens Madsen said the decline reflected the global downturn that industry was experiencing, "and a recovery is not forecast".
"There's no immediate light at the end of the tunnel - the industry is quite pessimistic about the future," he said.
Because of this, the ports company was seeking a substitute for car imports "in the medium term".
Used-car imports had declined, but new car figures had held up.
Ports of Auckland handled 173,373 vehicles in the 2007/08 year and 201,381 in 2004/05.
"In general there is a belief that in three to four years we will look at a more promising trend within the vehicle imports but again there are a lot of uncertainties out there," Mr Madsen said.
Auctioneer Turners Auctions last month said the total used-vehicle market fell last year by 100,000 units, or 9 per cent, from 2007.
A primary contributor had been a rapid decline in Japanese used import sales, which were down 25 per cent.
