Opel first to start incentive strategy as market dries?

Tuesday, 4 July 2023

Keeping consumer interest alive in wake of a massive June sales frenzy that some in the new car industry fear could be the last splurge before a drought seems to have sparked an incentive announced today by a market newcomer.

Though it ultimately sees itself as siting as an electric pure brand, Opel New Zealand for now has four petrol cars its mix, all running a common 1.2-litre three-cylinder.

The Auckland-based maker today promised anyone buying those models – the Corsa, Astra, Mokka and just-landed Grandland – this month will receive petrol vouchers of value equivalent to a year’s worth of fuel cost.

These costs all calculate as being just over $2000 in all instances and on basis on those cars will clock 14,000 kilometres’ over the next 12 months.

Opel has used a database created by Government efficiency and safety collator Rightcar. The brand says it does not assume the engine will be burning 91 octane fuel, the cheapest of three common pump choices, but instead bases on a Rightcar expectation of petrol costing $2.80 per litre.

The biggest lump sum goes to Mokka SRi, which has the highest claimed fuel consumption, of 5.7 litres per 100km. It achieves $2230 worth of vouchers.

Grandland, the largest car, has an economy of 5.4L/100km and gets $2120 worth. Corsa and Astra, on 5.2 and 5.1 litres per 100km, achieve $2040 and $2000 worth of vouchers respectively.

There is potential more brands might begin incentivising in wake of last month’s mammoth registrations result of 23,560 vehicles.

That’s the biggest monthly count the Motor Industry Association, which represents new car distributors, says it has seen since it began compiling data, in the mid-1970s.

The result appears to have been spurred by changes to Clean Car legislation, introduced on July 1, which not only lowered the point at which emissions fees apply, from 192 grams of CO2 to 150g, but also hiked penalties, with diesel one-tonne utes being particularly hurt.

At the same juncture, cars that previously either achieved rebates or were fee-neutral lost their support and, in many cases, are subject to penalties as well.

There’s concern within the industry that the legislation has become a tipping for many buyers; there’s thought that the market will from now on dry up considerably, one involver pointing out that it simply would be inconceivable for any more returns anything close to last month’s count, given the overall annual new car and commercial count for last year was 165,000 units, of which 116,000 were passenger.

“If the market saw last month’s count duplicated all year, we would have a car market three times the size it really always has been. That’s just not going to happen. We are going to see some dealers doing it tough.”

MIA chief executive Aimee Wiley was more circumspect, but agreed that there is every potential the sales trend between now and the end of December will be substantially different.

She doubts the overall market accrual this year will be any greater than the 2022 figure and notes that, year today, 85,000 units have been registered.

“It could be even be less (than last year), because we are in a recessionary environment. and there’s election uncertainty in October.

“It [the market] will adjust on a full year basis. This a pull forward of volume driven by policy, it is not additional sales.

“Given the cost of living and the recessionary environment, we’re not expecting sales in the second half of the year to continue (as they have) or for this to be stand out year.”

Last month saw a big rush on utes, with Toyota Hilux (above) for once outselling Ranger and also establishing as the month’s top seller, a position often held by the Ford over the past 18 months.

Last month’s performance result was 95.5 percent higher than June 2022 and 2556 units higher than the previous biggest month, March of 2022, with 21,004 registrations.

“In March 2022, people rushed to register vehicles to avoid the introduction of Clean Car Discount fees and we can see this repeated in June 2023, to avoid increasing fees or reducing rebates from 1 July onwards,” Wiley said.

Although Hilux was top seller, passenger vehicles nonetheless accounted for 17,299 of last month’s tally, against 6261 from the commercial category, in which utes site.

Passenger registrations of 17,299 are the highest month yet, 97.5 percent higher than the monthly average year to date, 80.9 percent higher than June 2022 and 45.7 percent (5425 units) higher than the prior record month for passenger sales (September of 2021 at 11,874 units). On a year-to-date basis, passenger vehicle sales have been up 4680 units year-on-year, an 8.3 percent climb.

Toyota retained the overall market lead for the month of June with 22.7 percent market share, from registering 5343 units, followed by Mitsubishi (12.3 percent, 2903 units) then Kia (8.2 percent, 1927 units).

Within the electric car sphere, the top models were the Tesla Model Y (765 units), BYD Atto 3 (440 units) and MG ZS (260 units), with electrics achieving 15 percent of light passenger registrations. Plug-in hybrid registrations exploded, with a 148 percent climb, with the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross topping on 498 units, followed by the Mitsubishi Outlander (257) and the Kia Niro (135). PHEVs comprised 7.6 of the light passenger action.

Hybrids accounted for 4279 registrations, the Toyota RAV4 topping with 983 units, followed by the Toyota C-HR (261) and the Kia Niro (246). Hybrids comprised 24.7 percent of the light passenger segment in June.

The RAV4 was also the top selling SUV for the month and that type of vehicle achieved the biggest share, in medium format, though small to medium cars accounted for 60 percent of sales last month.