New Zealand’s vehicle sales in March 2021 stood at 15,498 units, up by 86.3pc as compared to 8,317 units sold in March 2020, according to the country’s Motor Industry Association.
The association said that despite March 2021 being the strongest March on record for sales of new vehicles, the country’s auto sector is still operating under disrupted supply arrangements from the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions imposed in 2020 and shortage of semiconductor chips.
In March, passenger vehicle (cars and SUVs) sales stood at 10,113 units, up by 27.3pc from the same month in the preceding year, while commercial vehicle (CV) sales grew by 85.6pc from March 2021.
Both passenger vehicle and CV sales achieved record sales during the month.
The top-selling auto company in March was Toyota with 2,352 units or 15pc of the total market share, followed by Mitsubishi with 1,743 units or 11pc of the total market share, and then by Ford with 1,367 units or 9pc of the total market share.
Q1 2021
In the first three months of the year (Jan-Mar 2021), New Zealand’s new vehicle sales stood at 41,846 units, up by 27.6pc as compared to 32,797 units in the prior-year period.