Electric passenger models also did well last month, but ute tax hasn’t curtailed Kiwi taste for old favourite one-tonners.

ANOTHER blow to Government thought about ute tax stymying Kiwi one-tonne interest has come with August new car sales data showing Ford Ranger returning to its pre-Clean Car status as the country’s top-seller.

Preliminary data from the Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has been relayed by industry news site Autotalk.co.nz.

It shows that while passenger car volume last month was much higher than ute business, which has yet to return to pre-Clean Car strength, Ford’s model – which has just released in a new generation - nonetheless was the country’s favourite, with 934 registrations.

The Toyota Hilux, historically the Ranger’s closest rival and also the biggest hitter in July, was the second most popular consumer choice in August, with 897 registrations.

Toyota was still the strongest brand in August, with 2678 registrations overall, for an 18.2 percent market share, with Mitsubishi falling to second, with 1697 units and 11.6 percent market share.

Toyota is also holding position as the market leader year to date, a historic holding it relinquished to Mitsubishi for the first half of the year, before regaining the spot in July.

Yet to be substantiated by information customarily released by the Motor Industry Association, the new car distributor industry organisation, the data from Autotalk shows 14,689 new vehicles were registered in August, a 3589 increase on the July count.

Of those, 10,940 were passenger vehicles and 3749 were commercial vehicles.

 Tesla’s Model 3 passenger car was the country’s third most popular choice, with 745 registrations, and its hatchback spin-off, the Model Y, was fifth, with 581 registrations. Between those sister ships stood Mitsubishi’s Outlander, with 677 registrations.

Market newbie BYD got off to a strong start with its sole offer, the Atto 3 electric compact car: 448 registrations put it in sixth spot, just ahead of the Toyota RAV4 (437). Others in the top 10 were Kia’s Sportage (374) and EV6 (354) and Mitsubishi’s Eclipse Cross (342).