What are New Zealand's favourite cars?

Photo / NZME.

September saw continued strong growth in all sectors of the market, and an analysis of the year-to-date market share data has revealed the country's most popular imported used and new models.

So what is New Zealand's favourite used car?

Well, surprisingly the Nissan Tiida is New Zealand's most popular imported used car in 2014, according to the September car sales figures. Over the YTD, 5,182 imported used Nissan Tiidas were sold in the country, with 577 units sold in September.

This was closely followed by the Suzuki Swift, with 542 imported used models sold in September and 4,766 YTD and the Mazda Axela, which sold 508 imported used units in September and 4,390 YTD.

The Toyota Corolla remained New Zealand's most popular new car, selling 3,838 new Corollas YTD. It sold 629 units in September, an increase of 23 percent compared to August.

The second most popular new car for the year was Holden Commodore with 277 new units sold in September and 2,259 YTD. The third most popular new car was the Suzuki Swift, with 171 in September and 1,973 sold YTD.

In terms of new commercial vehicles, the Ford Ranger was the most popular with 498 new units registered in September and 4,445 YTD. The Toyota Hilux followed closely behind with 475 new units in September and 4,266 YTD. The Holden Colorado was third with 236 new units sold in September and 2,193 YTD.

The Nissan Tiida

Overall, the passenger sector saw strong growth with 11,142 used imported models and 8,382 new vehicles sold YTD.

The used import car market is particularly strong, with the numbers getting close to those experienced in the mid-2000s.

New commercial vehicle sales increased by 24 percent YTD making it the strongest September on record with 3,458 vehicles sold and it's looking increasingly likely 2014 will see the highest number of new commercial vehicles ever sold in one year since records began in 1925.

The used import commercial market also showed growth with 792 imported units sold for the month, an increase of 58 percent YTD, compared to YTD 2013.

MTA Chief Executive Warwick Quinn said the growth signalled continued business and consumer confidence.

"Car dealers across the country are well-stocked, and demand continues to be strong. That so many vehicles are being sold indicates there is a lot of upgrading going on, spread across the market," Quinn said.