China has in two years more than tripled its share of New Zealand’s light passenger vehicle sector, that’s new cars and SUVs. Its impact on the vans and utes segment is marked, too.
Its emerging presence is obvious, helped of course by the New Zealand-China free trade agreement and an automotive industry subsidised up the wazoo by the Chinese state.
The presence on the ground here of another arm of the state, Bank of China, has helped finance the expansion in NZ. BOC opened for business in 2015.
For all that, Chinese wheels still remain a moonbeam away from eating into the nameplates that helped build much of modern New Zealand.
Nevertheless, their growth is ongoing …
- After the first two months of 2024 China had 4.0% of the top 15 new car/SUV passenger registrations. This year it has 14.0%.
- Back then it had zero per cent of the top15 light commercials, vans and utes. Now it has 7.7%.
Numbers further explain the growth:
• Of the 6614 cars/SUVs registered with the NZTA in the first two months of 2024, China had 274, or 4.0%
• Of the 7311 new cars/SUVs registered to the end of last month, China had 1035, or 14.0%.
• Of the 4894 vans and utes making up the top 15 so far in 2026, China had 381. There’s the 7.7%, almost double 4.0% of 2024.
Digging deeper, only one recognised Chinese nameplate was among the top 15 passenger vehicles in the early months of 2024. That was the MG ZS.
Now there are three, according to NZTA numbers. That’s the MG ZS, GWM H6, Chery Tiggo 4 Pro, all SUVs.
Same story in the light commercial segment. Nothing in the way of vans and utes from China in the 2024 top 15, but now there are four models – BYD Shark 6, GWM Cannon, LDV Delivery 9, MG U9.
China’s place in the rental sector in 2024 was also non-existent. Now it has four models – BYD Sealion 6, Chery Tiggo 4 Pro, GWM Haval 6, GWM Tank, again all SUVs – on lease to NZ’s various hire car companies.
Meantime, across the ditch, China became Australia’s largest source of new vehicles for the first time in a single month.
In February, 22,362 vehicles from China were sold, surpassing Japan (21,671), Thailand (19,493) and South Korea (11,913). Japan had been Australia’s leading source of vehicles since 1998.
One Chinese car company that didn’t contribute to the record-breaking Aussie numbers was the state-owned Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co (BAIC), one of the country’s bigwig groups.
It doesn’t yet operate as its own entity in Australia, although it has a hand in production of a made-in-China Hyundai model sold there.
New Zealand is a different story. BAIC (pronounced ‘Bike’ to suit antipodean ears) has just set up shop here, administered by Auto Distribution Holdings (ADH), an Armstrong group affiliate.
To open its account, it showcased four mid-size SUVs, branded the X55 (above) and B30 (top). But unlike first-up offerings from other Chinese brands, there wasn’t an electric vehicle (EV) in the mix.
ADH chief executive Simon Rutherford said the distributor immediately set out to target SUVs, the largest new vehicle segment in the country.
“We’ll cover the widest demands for drivetrains in the sector – petrol and hybrid,” he said, citing the 62% share SUVs had of the January market.
Each of the Chinese SUVs runs a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine delivering 138kW/305Nm, although the two hybrid B30 models have a less powerful version that better suits the marriage with electric motors.
The entry-level model is the front drive X55, priced at $34,990 and with the choice of six exterior colours. That’s the teaser price until June 1, when it jumps $3000 to $37,990.
Three models carry the B30 badge. The front drive petrol-only example is the Elite Adventure, at $39,990. Two hybrids complete the B30 lineup.
The front drive Premium Adventure HEV is $44,990 and the all-wheel-drive Premium Adventure HEV $49,990. Add $3000 to each model from June 1.
The X55 and B30 both get six airbags and a myriad of electronic aids – safety, visual, connectivity, all accessed via a central touchscreen.
The B30 also gets leisure add-ons, including a rear parcel shelf that doubles as a picnic table.