New Zealand’s new vehicle market is undergoing a structural shift as hybrid and electric vehicle adoption accelerates and it’s a change Toyota has confirmed.
New vehicle registrations increased 13.5% year on year to 13,438 units in June, driven by strong passenger vehicle sales and a sharp rise in demand for battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
Electrified vehicles have gathered momentum since March, when fuel prices began increasing. During June, 2738 BEVs and 1402 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) were registered, compared with 1072 and 911 respectively in the same month last year.
Toyota New Zealand chief strategy officer Andrew Davis told RNZ the growth in hybrids had been building for some time.
“We made a strategic decision quite some time ago to make sure we could offer a really broad range of powertrains to Kiwis,” he said.
Asked whether the New Zealand vehicle market was changing, Davis replied: “Yeah, I think we’ll see that.
“I think we’ll see that and the more electrified product you get in [the] market the more we’ll see adoption lift.”
Davis said Toyota’s early investment in hybrid technology with the Prius had helped pave the way for broader consumer acceptance, with hybrids now firmly established in the mainstream market.
Toyota said hybrids accounted for 70.4% of its combined Toyota and Lexus sales during the six months to the end of June. Diesel vehicles made up 21.1%, plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) 6.5% and battery-electric vehicles 1.6%, while conventional petrol models represented just 0.4%.
During June alone, hybrids accounted for 54.5% of Toyota’s sales. Diesel made up 21.6%, PHEVs rose to 20.6% and BEVs reached 2.9%.
Davis said Toyota was also expanding electrified options for commercial customers, including mild-hybrid and electric versions of the Hilux, along with alternative powertrains for large SUVs.
“Which is actually making some rural consumers or people that may not have considered full electric products consider them,” he told RNZ.
