Automotive news

• Heartland shareholders back $620m TSB merger

  30-09-2026 23:51 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Heartland Group shareholders have overwhelmingly approved the proposed $620 million acquisition of TSB and the subsequent merger of the two banks.
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• BP Plus wins Canstar small business fuel card award

  30-09-2026 23:27 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  BP Plus has received Canstar’s 2026 Most Satisfied Customers Award in the Small Business Fuel Cards category. The fuel card is accepted at more than 400 locations across New Zealand, including BP service stations and truckstops, GAS and RD Petroleum sites. Canstar editor Bruce Pitchers says customer service and account management helped BP stand out […]
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• JAC adds Paeroa and Invercargill dealers plus Cromwell and Blenheim pop-ups

  30-09-2026 23:19 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  JAC New Zealand has added four locations to its ute network, appointing dealers in Paeroa and Invercargill and opening pop-up sites in Cromwell and Blenheim. Whyteline takes the brand in Paeroa. The family-owned dealership was founded by the late John Whyte and is now run by his son Mark, with more than 50 years of […]
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• Freelander to launch in New Zealand in 2027 through established dealers

  30-09-2026 23:15 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Freelander, the standalone SUV brand from Chery and Jaguar Land Rover, will launch in New Zealand in 2027 through established local dealerships, with dealer appointments to be announced before launch. Australia and New Zealand have been identified as priority right-hand-drive markets. The operation is led by Kym Mellow, head of Freelander Australia and New Zealand, […]
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• Brian Yanko returns to lead NZ Police Fleet

  30-09-2026 22:59 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Brian Yanko has returned to his substantive role as senior manager, fleet at New Zealand Police after almost three years working across the organisation’s wider property and fleet portfolio. Yanko says on LinkedIn that what was expected to be a relatively short period in a more senior role became three years leading a much broader […]
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• BYD becomes first Chinese brand to pass 1000 registrations in a month

  30-09-2026 21:19 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  BYD registered 1090 new vehicles in New Zealand in September, the first time a Chinese brand has passed 1000 registrations in a single month. The total was made up of 871 passenger vehicles and 219 Shark 6 utes, according to Waka Kotahi NZTA registration data. In September last year BYD registered 188 vehicles, 107 passenger […]
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• Rental fleets drive 21.8% lift in September new vehicle market

  30-09-2026 20:32 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  New vehicle registrations totalled 17,055 units in September 2026, up 21.8% on the 13,999 recorded in the same month last year, as rental operators registered 4736 new passenger vehicles ahead of the summer tourist season, 1191 more than a year earlier. Passenger registrations rose 27.8% to 13,244 units, from 10,362 in September 2025. It is […]
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• Rental fleets, BYD and Tesla push new passenger registrations to 13,244

  30-09-2026 20:32 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  New vehicle registrations totalled 17,055 units in September 2026, up 21.8% on the 13,999 recorded in the same month last year. Passenger registrations rose 27.8% to 13,244 units, from 10,362 in September 2025. It is the highest September passenger result in data going back to 2019, and the biggest month for the segment since June […]
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• Used imports climb 13.6% for strongest September since 2023

  30-09-2026 19:59 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Used import registrations totalled 8468 units in September 2026, up 13.6% on the 7455 recorded in the same month last year. Passenger volumes made up the bulk of the total at 8005 registrations, up 13.2% year-on-year. It is the strongest September for used passenger imports since 2023, when 8921 were registered, though below this year’s […]
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• Ingham Group takes over Kia on the North Shore, opening on Target Road on 19 October

  30-09-2026 03:55 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Ingham Group has been named Kia’s new dealer on Auckland’s North Shore, taking over from Giltrap Group, which ends its 17-year run with the franchise on 15 October. The new Kia North Shore at 182 Target Road is due to be fully operational from 19 October. Ingham Group already holds Kia in Taupō. Kia New […]
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• Vehicle and parts imports from China up $177m in August

  30-09-2026 03:45 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Imports of vehicles, parts and accessories from China increased by $177 million in August compared with the same month last year, according to Stats NZ. The increase accounted for most of the $220m annual rise in New Zealand’s total monthly imports for the category. Vehicle, parts and accessories imports from all markets reached $948m in […]
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• Fuel prices push annual inflation to 4.1%

  30-09-2026 02:16 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Rising petrol and diesel prices helped push New Zealand’s annual inflation rate to 4.1% in the June quarter, with motorists paying substantially more at the pump than a year earlier. A new Stats NZ economic snapshot shows petrol prices increased 20.1% during the quarter and were 27.5% higher than in the year ended June 2025. […]
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• Sena takeover of 2 Cheap Cars goes unconditional

  30-09-2026 01:39 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Sena & Co’s takeover offer for 2 Cheap Cars Group has become unconditional after all remaining conditions were satisfied or waived. The investment vehicle of 2 Cheap Cars co-founder and chief executive David Sena is pursuing full ownership and delisting of the NZX-listed automotive retailer. Sena & Co confirmed on September 30 that the offer’s […]
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• Brian Tunnicliffe Motor Group takes on Kia for Paeroa and the Coromandel

  30-09-2026 01:28 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Kia New Zealand has appointed Brian Tunnicliffe Motor Group to represent the brand in Paeroa, Thames, the Coromandel Peninsula and the wider Hauraki region. The family-owned group, which has been in business in the area for 35 years, is setting up a new Kia Paeroa dealership with Nicole Tunnicliffe as general manager and Mark Wilkin […]
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