New Zealand’s new vehicle market has opened the 2026 calendar year strongly, with January registrations rising year on year.
Growth in passenger vehicles outweighed a modest softening in commercial volumes.
A total of 11,807 new vehicles were registered during January, an increase of 8.7 per cent compared with the 10,858 units recorded in the same month last year. Passenger vehicles accounted for most of the uplift, while commercial registrations edged slightly lower.
Passenger vehicle registrations climbed 12.1 per cent to 9,038 units, up from 8,059 in January 2025. Commercial vehicle registrations declined marginally, falling 1.1 per cent to 2,769 units.
Passenger brands post broad-based growth
Toyota remained the market leader in the passenger segment with 1,868 registrations, lifting 10.5 per cent year on year and securing a 20.7 per cent share of the segment.
Mitsubishi recorded the strongest growth among high-volume brands, increasing registrations by 61 per cent to 1,070 units and moving into second place. Kia followed closely with 990 registrations, up 15.4 per cent.
Several other brands also recorded solid gains. Ford increased passenger registrations by 17.6 per cent to 441 units, Mazda rose 26.9 per cent to 420, and MG climbed 27.7 per cent to 410. BYD more than doubled its January result, posting a 113 per cent increase to 360 units. Chery recorded 212 registrations during its first full year in the market.
Not all manufacturers shared the improvement. Suzuki recorded a 24.7 per cent decline to 381 units, Nissan fell 43.7 per cent to 134, and Honda dropped 23.3 per cent to 237.
SUV models dominate top-selling rankings
The Toyota RAV4 remained the best-selling passenger vehicle with 641 registrations, despite volumes easing compared with January last year. Mitsubishi placed two models near the top, with the ASX recording 492 registrations and the Outlander posting 363.
The Kia Stonic followed with 354 registrations, ahead of the Toyota Corolla Cross on 334. The Ford Everest continued its strong performance with 296 units, while the Toyota Yaris Cross recorded 284.
Other popular models included the Kia Seltos (242), MG ZS (205), and GWM Haval H6 (201).
Commercial segment sees mixed results
In the commercial vehicle market, Ford reclaimed its leading position with 775 registrations, representing a 20.7 per cent increase year on year. Toyota moved to second place after registrations fell 36.6 per cent to 485 units following a strong result in January 2025.
Nissan delivered the largest increase in the segment, lifting registrations by 140 per cent to 405 units, supported by demand for the latest Navara. Mitsubishi recorded 234 registrations, down 7.5 per cent, while Isuzu increased volumes by 32.3 per cent to 168.
BYD’s Shark 6 recorded 85 registrations, lower than launch-driven volumes a year earlier. GWM more than doubled its commercial registrations to 44 units.
The Ford Ranger remained the dominant commercial model with 688 registrations, well ahead of the Nissan Navara on 405. The Toyota HiAce recorded 255 units, followed by the Mitsubishi Triton (234) and Toyota Hilux (217).
Other notable performers included the Isuzu D-Max (127), BYD Shark 6 (85), Ford Transit (80), LDV Deliver 9 (47), and GWM Cannon (44).
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