By Rachel Tiffen
Sports utility vehicles – or SUVs – have leapt to the top of the list of most popular new car purchases in New Zealand.
SUV sales now claim nearly 30 percent market share, and the word on the road is it's predominantly about the look.
The Motor Trading Association’s Ian Stronach says he sees the increase in sales as “a change in approach, from a lifestyle perspective”.
“They are much more user-friendly than the old military based vehicles from years ago.”
SUVs are seen as safe, high and spacious – but mainly, people buy because of the status associated with the ‘pretty’ vehicles.
With 18,684 sales, SUVs have a 29 percent share in the market. Small cars, with engines under 1500cc, have fallen to second place.
Under 1.5 to 2 litre sales are up, but medium 2 to 3 litre cars and 3 litres plus are dropping.
A large part of the appeal of SUVs is their roomy interior – it would seem they are the new car of choice for families, replacing the traditional “family wagon”.
Another plus is many SUVs take diesel, so are cheaper to run.
However, the ‘off-roader’ title is a bit of a fallacy – Dog and Lemon editor Clive Matthew-Wilson says 97 percent of the cars never leave the road, unless they’ve stopped to pick up a latte.
3 News