Hilux most popular on Trade Me
Two Japanese car brands are the most sought after on a New Zealand auction website, writes Damien O’Carroll.
The Ford Ranger may be reigning supreme in new-car sales, while the Tesla Model S may be capturing all the headlines with its record-setting September numbers, but as far as the users of the country’s biggest auction website are concerned, the Toyota Hilux is top dog.
The Hilux was the subject of 228,000 searches on Trade Me in September, new data from the website shows, with another popular Toyota – the Land Cruiser – sitting in a distant second with 158,000 searches.
The most popular brand new seller only manages to rack up 98,000 searches, which sees the Ford Ranger in fourth behind searches for the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.
‘‘Toyotas have been a family favourite for New Zealanders for decades, so it’s not surprising that the Japanese-based brand took out the top two spots,’’ said Alan Clark, Trade Me’s head of motors.
While SUVs are dominating the new cars sales, Clark said when it came to Auckland it was the smaller, more compact vehicles that were in hot demand.
‘‘Possibly driven by petrol prices and commutes, the most popular vehicle for Aucklanders was the good old Toyota Corolla followed by the Volkswagen Golf,’’ he said.
‘‘We thought SUVs might make an appearance, given how many of them are on the streets of Auckland, but it looks like economics won out for Aucklanders.’’
The Toyota Corolla was the No 1 favourite in Wellington. ‘‘They’re an affordable second-hand option for Kiwis and a good size for maneuvering around the main centres,’’ Clark said.
Unsurprisingly, the Hilux was the most popular in the regions, taking out the top spot across Otago, Waikato, Taranaki, Southland, Bay of Plenty, Manawatu¯ /Whanganui, West Coast, Marlborough, Nelson/ Tasman, Northland, Gisborne and Canterbury, while Hawke’s Bay drivers were the only region to buck the trend with the Ford Ranger topping the charts for the most searched vehicle.
But it wasn’t all practicality – some fun stuff snuck into the top 10 as well – along with the third spot for the Lancer Evo, the Mazda RX-7 snuck in to 6th place, while the Ford Mustang took 9th.
Harley Davidson was the 8th most popular search and an odd inclusion, being a brand name rather than a specific model like all the cars.
Although you could also say that ‘‘Land Cruiser’’ can mean a 70 series, 200 series or even a Prado.
‘‘We know there are thousands of Kiwis who come to Trade Me every week just to do a little daydreaming, to remind themselves of that vehicle they’re getting when they retire or when they win Lotto,’’ Clark said.
Top 10 most popular cars on Trade Me in September