Car Torque: New car sales continue cimb

New vehicle sales continued to grow in February, with sales up 8% over the same period last year – and the strongest since 1984. It was the strongest February for passenger vehicles since 1989 and the highest sales month for commercials ever recorded.

Toyota led the market with 16% share, followed by Ford (10%) and Holden (also 10%, just six units behind). The Toyota Corolla was the top-selling passenger car (302 registrations), followed by the Mazda CX-5 (210) and Mazda3 (206). However, the Hilux light-commercial was the top-selling vehicle of any kind, clocking up 427 registrations.

Sports utility vehicles (SUVs) remain the dominant vehicle type, accounting for 32% of all sales. Next are pickup trucks (20%) and small passenger cars (15%). Year to date, overall sales are up 10% on 2014.

Drive electric relaunch
The New Zealand organisation formerly known as the Association for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles (APEV) has been rebranded and relaunched as Drive Electric. The board and management team have also been overhauled.

The chairman of Drive Electric is former BMW New Zealand managing director Mark Gilbert, who says that a key part of the group’s new strategy is to get more significant industry players together to bring EVs into the mainstream. Mr Gilbert says Drive Electric is already engaging with companies such as Audi, BMW, Contact Energy, Powerco, WEL Networks and Northpower.

“The mandate of Drive Electric is to deliver our members and stakeholders consistent, influential and financially sustainable advocacy for the accelerated, orderly uptake of EVs in New Zealand,” Mr Gilbert says.

‘We now have working partnerships with EECA, the Sustainable Business Council and Mighty River Power.”

Super-luxury brands on the rise
According to a report by Automotive News Europe, the super-luxury automotive market could grow by as much as 40% between now and 2020. Bentley, Lamborghini, Maserati and Rolls-Royce all set sales records in 2014.

Most high-end luxury car brands are owned by mainstream companies: Bentley and Lamborghini are subsidiaries of Volkswagen Group. Maserati is owned by Fiat Chrysler and Rolls-Royce is part of BMW. Although their volumes are small, these brands generate large profits, hence the desire to increase volume when the market is strong – even if it’s at some expense to exclusivity.

According to Automotive News, Maserati represents just 1% of Fiat Chrysler’s sales, yet it contributes 21% of operating profit. 

BMW Turns Up Boost
BMW is showcasing a new product at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The Vehicular Small Cell has been developed in conjunction with Peiker Acustic and Nash Technologies. It aims to improve mobile reception in vehicles.

Vehicle bodies can cause a strong signal-shielding effect from cellular signals. The Vehicular Small Cell uses a device called a femtocell – a small base station more typically found in buildings. In the car application, it boosts the signal through the car antenna while also reducing electromagnetic radiation inside the vehicle.