Automotive news

• Chinese brands drive July passenger vehicle growth

  03-08-2026 01:09 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Chinese vehicle brands are continuing to gain ground in New Zealand, driven by competitive pricing and growing demand for electrified vehicles, according to the Motor Trade Association (MTA).
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• Mercedes-Benz signs on as ASB Classic automotive partner

  19-08-2026 10:06 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  The deal extends Mercedes-Benz’s global WTA tennis partnership to New Zealand. Image: Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz New Zealand will become the official automotive partner of the ASB Classic from the 2027 tournament, in what the distributor describes as the start of a long-term relationship with the Auckland event. The deal extends the brand’s global commitment to professional […]
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• Leapmotor “deserves so much better”: ADNZ resets strategy as range doubles

  19-08-2026 09:04 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  The B03X compact SUV opens at $37,990 plus on-road costs, with deliveries from late September. Auto Distribution New Zealand is resetting its approach to Leapmotor, admitting the Chinese EV brand has underperformed in New Zealand and rolling out a longer warranty, a tripled dealer network, a dedicated fleet function and a new brand campaign alongside […]
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• Trade Me appoints new boss

  19-08-2026 04:26 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Trade Me has appointed Kul Singh Kargil as its new chief executive officer, replacing Anders Skoe who will step down at the end of September.
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• Turners retains $65m FY27 profit target as market risks rise

  19-08-2026 01:17 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Turners Automotive Group is maintaining its $65 million net profit before tax (NPBT) target for FY27, although it warns tougher vehicle trading conditions have increased the risk of falling short. The outlook was provided in Turners’ annual meeting presentation on August 19 and follows the NZX-listed company’s full-year results announced in May, when it reported […]
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• Petrol and diesel prices fall for third straight month

  19-08-2026 01:02 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Petrol and diesel prices continued to fall in July, marking the third consecutive month of declines following increases in March and April, according to Stats NZ. Petrol prices dropped 5.7% from June, while diesel recorded a sharper 12.1% fall. Stats NZ prices and deflators spokesperson Nicola Growden says the declines have taken both fuel types […]
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• Geely posts record half as exports surge 158%

  18-08-2026 20:53 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  The EX5 is part of Geely’s New Zealand line-up as the group posts record first-half numbers. Geely Auto has reported record first-half revenue of RMB173.6 billion (approximately NZ$44 billion), up 15% year on year, with core profit attributable to owners rising 46% to RMB9.68 billion (around NZ$2.5 billion). The Hong Kong-listed group, which develops and […]
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• Trade Me Motors adds de Ruiter to dealer development team

  18-08-2026 00:45 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Zach de Ruiter joins Trade Me Motors’ dealer-facing business development team. Image: LinkedIn Trade Me Motors has appointed Zach de Ruiter to its business development manager team supporting dealers, covering cars, boats, motorbikes and trucks. De Ruiter steps up from a client manager role at Trade Me, where he has been since October 2024, and […]
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• Ezi launches NZ’s first hydrogen rental fleet

  18-08-2026 00:43 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith takes the keys as first customer, with Ezi Car Rental branch manager Deon Hoeksema and Toyota New Zealand chief executive Tatsuya Ishikawa. Image: Toyota New Zealand Ezi Car Rental has become the first New Zealand rental company to offer a hydrogen vehicle, adding three Toyota Mirai fuel cell sedans to […]
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• Star Insure launches free accident app for all motorists

  18-08-2026 00:36 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  The app walks drivers through a six-step process at the accident scene. Image: Star Insure Specialist motor insurer Star Insure has launched a free accident app for New Zealand motorists, offering step-by-step guidance at the scene of a crash regardless of who the driver is insured with. The app walks drivers through what to do […]
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• Record 1600 turn out as EROAD Fleet Days goes to two days

  17-08-2026 22:02 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  The exhibition hall at Fleet Days 2026, which ran over two days at Mystery Creek for the first time. Image: EROAD EROAD’s Fleet Days drew more than 1600 fleet leaders, operators and industry professionals to Mystery Creek this year, the event’s largest attendance to date and its first outing as a full two-day programme. The […]
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• Labour rules out Clean Car Discount return as ‘ute tax’ attack unravels

  17-08-2026 08:30 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Labour transport spokesperson Tangi Utikere rejected the claim as misinformation. Labour leader Chris Hipkins has ruled out reinstating the Clean Car Discount if Labour wins the November election, after a weekend of National Party attacks claiming the party was planning to bring back the so-called ute tax. The ruling out caps a two-day campaign skirmish […]
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• LDV runout begins: up to $33,000 slashed as Inchcape prepares exit

  17-08-2026 06:49 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Inchcape has fired the starting gun on its LDV exit, repricing the brand’s entire landed-stock inventory with cuts of up to $33,000 and a Deliver 9 Cab Chassis now listed at $19,990. A pricelist issued by LDV New Zealand on 17 August moves every model in the range to runout Recommended Sale Price positioning, valid […]
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• Obituary: Mark Vidak, the man who changed how New Zealand sells cars

  17-08-2026 01:17 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Mark Vidak, 1957-2026. One of the New Zealand motor industry’s most experienced and widely respected distribution executives, Mark Vidak, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 69. Vidak’s career spanned more than four decades and touched almost every corner of the new vehicle business, from the Japanese giants of the 1980s to the […]
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• Chery buys Nissan plant in South Africa as Chinese EV production lands in Africa

  16-08-2026 23:34 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Chery will build EVs, plug-in hybrids and Jetour models at the former Nissan plant. The Jaecoo J5 EV is pictured. Image: Jaecoo Chery has acquired Nissan’s former Rosslyn manufacturing plant near Pretoria, South Africa, giving China’s biggest vehicle exporter its first full production footprint in Africa. The acquisition, completed in July and reported by Associated […]
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• McGovern breaks silence on Jaguar rebrand and JLR exit

  16-08-2026 21:38 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Gerry McGovern has given his first interview since leaving JLR. Image: JLR Former JLR chief creative officer Gerry McGovern has spoken publicly for the first time since leaving the company, defending Jaguar’s Copy Nothing rebrand as a campaign “taken out of context” and swallowed by an American culture war he says he did not see […]
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• 2 Cheap Cars profit softens in July as takeover clock runs

  14-08-2026 02:31 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  2 Cheap Cars made an unaudited net profit of about $320,000 in July. 2 Cheap Cars Group made an unaudited net profit after tax of about $320,000 in July, a softer month the company attributes to reduced vehicle sales volumes and average margins. The figure, released to the NZX this morning once July management accounts […]
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• 2 Cheap Cars posts $1.9m profit for first four months of FY27

  14-08-2026 01:14 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  2 Cheap Cars Group has reported unaudited net profit after tax (NPAT) of around $1.9 million for the first four months of FY27 following weaker trading in July. The NZX-listed vehicle retailer recorded NPAT of approximately $320,000 for July with the result consistent with its August 4 trading update, which indicated conditions had weakened compared […]
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• Colonial Motor Company profit rises to $18.7m

  14-08-2026 01:00 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  The Colonial Motor Company has reported an $18.7 million trading profit after tax for the year to June 30, marginally ahead of the previous year despite disruption from the Middle East conflict. The NZX-listed automotive group says the resulting oil shock and supply disruption significantly changed the light vehicle sales mix during the second half, […]
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• Car imports through Lyttelton climb 11% as port posts record profit

  13-08-2026 22:05 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Vehicle volumes through Lyttelton reached 39,138 units in the 2025/26 year. Image: LPC Vehicle imports through Lyttelton Port grew 11% to 39,138 units in the 2025/26 financial year, a bright spot in a result that saw the South Island’s largest port post a record net profit after tax of $35 million. Lyttelton Port Company’s profit […]
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• New NZTA training pathway opens for heavy vehicle certifiers

  13-08-2026 21:59 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  The new HVSC-M programme replaces the previous TTMF course. A new NZTA training programme for people certifying heavy vehicle builds and modifications has gone live, replacing the course previously run by the Truck-Trailer Manufacturers Federation. The programme targets Heavy Vehicle Specialist Certifiers – Manufacturers (HVSC-M), the role responsible for certifying builds and modifications across both […]
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• Ford recalls 2602 Rangers, most yet to reach customers

  13-08-2026 01:54 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Most of the recalled Rangers remain in Ford and dealer stock, including 400 still on the water. Image: Ford Ford New Zealand is recalling 2602 of its 2026.5 model year Ranger Double Cabs to replace B-pillar trim, though roughly two-thirds of the affected utes remain in Ford or dealer hands. The company says the side […]
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• Porsche New Zealand marks 50 years with five-car Sonderwunsch special

  13-08-2026 01:51 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  The 911 GT3 50 Years Porsche New Zealand anniversary special, one of five finished in Paint to Sample Yachting Blue Metallic. Image: Porsche New Zealand Porsche New Zealand is marking 50 years as the brand’s official importer with a run of five bespoke 911 GT3 Touring models, the first commemorative Porsche developed exclusively for the […]
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• Dealer activity lifts as Geneva Finance holds first-quarter profit

  12-08-2026 23:18 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Geneva Finance reported its June quarter result through the USX on 11 August. Image: Geneva Finance Geneva Finance says the number of dealers writing Quest Insurance policies jumped 10.2% in the June quarter, as the lender and insurer reported unaudited net profit before tax of $2.96 million for the first three months of its 2027 […]
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• NZTA accepts IAA Australia portal invoices for entry certification

  12-08-2026 23:09 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  IAA Australia runs fully digital salvage auctions through a verified online buyer portal. Image: IAA Australia The NZTA has confirmed that invoices downloaded from IAA Australia’s online buyer portal can be accepted as evidence of legal entitlement when vehicles are presented for entry certification in New Zealand. The guidance was shared with members of the […]
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• Mitsubishi’s 20% stake looms over FleetPartners bidding war

  12-08-2026 22:23 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Mitsubishi Motors' near-20% holding makes it the kingmaker in the three-way FleetPartners takeover contest, with every proposal structured as a scheme needing 75% approval.
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• Giltrap takes over Volkswagen and Škoda on the North Shore

  12-08-2026 21:06 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Giltrap Group takes over Volkswagen and Škoda retail representation on Auckland's North Shore from 1 October, ending Tristram European's 19-year tenure in Wairau Valley.
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• ORIX makes it a three-way fight for FleetPartners as SG Fleet lifts to A$4.00

  12-08-2026 04:13 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  ORIX has lodged an A$3.80 bid for FleetPartners and SG Fleet has lifted its offer to A$4.00, creating a three-way contest with major implications for NZ fleet leasing.
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• ORIX makes it a three-way fight for FleetPartners as SG Fleet lifts bid

  12-08-2026 04:13 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  ORIX has lodged an A$3.80 bid for FleetPartners and SG Fleet has lifted its offer to A$4.00, creating a three-way contest with major implications for NZ fleet leasing.
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• Speirs Finance Group appoints Simon James as chief risk officer

  12-08-2026 02:32 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Speirs Finance Group has appointed Simon James to the newly created role of chief risk officer as its lending book approaches $1 billion.
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