A nationwide promotion for a four-wheel-drive Triton ute (above) helped Mitsubishi NZ record 1029 registrations last month, its best May result in 27 years and a 43 per cent jump on the same month last year.
The last time Mitsubishi broke through 1000 registrations in May was in 1990. Back then, overall new vehicle sales for the year topped out at 93,387.
This year, they are heading towards an all-time high of around 150,000, potentially a 60 per cent hike on 1990 numbers.
Mitsubishi NZ sales and marketing manager Daniel Cook said the buoyant market and the promotion for the Triton ute were the key drivers behind last month’s sales result.
“There is confidence in the economy and trust in our brand,” he said. “This, paired with a compelling offer on our limited-edition Triton GLX-R, has undoubtedly contributed to our success.
“Triton is a tried and trusted workhorse, added to which we offer the best new car warranty in New Zealand and are consistently ranked at the top of the country for customer care. This result is certainly no fluke – we’ve well and truly earned it.”
Mitsubishi is planning to cash in on the $32,990 promotion for the Triton GLX-R with a Fieldays special of $41,990 on the better equipped Triton GLS. Both prices exclude GST and on-road costs.
Fieldays opens on June 14 and most mainstream carmakers – certainly those with utes – will keep the buoyant market bubbling along with exclusive deals.
Holden, for example, will show off the last of the Commodore VF utes, one of only 51 limited editions badged Magnum (above) designated for NZ before Holden shuts down its manufacturing operations in Australia in October.
Could Fieldays help push June numbers beyond those of May’s 13,132 units, the strongest May on record since the Motor Industry Association (MIA) began recording sales numbers in 1975?
Not only that, it was the best ever sales month for commercials since 1975. There were 8387 passenger cars and 4745 commercials registered in May, up 11.8 per cent (885) and 29 per cent (1067) respectively on the same month last year.
New vehicle registrations after five months of 2017 totalled 63,244 vehicles, up 14 per cent (7809) on the 55,435 units for the same period last year.
Says MIA president Glynn Tulloch: “Registrations for May confirms that the growth seen so far this year is sustainable and shows every sign of continuing.
“Low interest rates, strong net immigration, strong New Zealand currency and robust domestic economy continue to underpin the sales of new vehicles.”
The Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux remain the two best-selling vehicles in NZ. Ranger itself is around 700 units ahead of Hilux and almost 2000 in front of the third-ranked vehicle on the charts, the Toyota Corolla.