Things are getting strange in the New Zealand plug-in vehicle market as sales bounce back. In March 2026, plug-ins achieved 26% of all auto sales, doubling month on month. Also, the Toyota BZ4X just outsold the Tesla Model 3! But first, some history. It wasn’t that long ago that I … [continued]
I recently reported to CleanTechnica readers about the surge in EV sales in Australia. It appears the same thing is happening in New Zealand, with second-hand and demo EVs being snapped up and car yards emptying out. Here is one revealing photo: Car yards are advertising for second-hand stock. Thanks … [continued]
Once touted as having the potential to become the Norway of the Pacific, New Zealand’s electric vehicle sales have plummeted to historic lows. With no domestic production and the end of proactive government action due to a change in the national government, New Zealand’s story shows how quickly things can … [continued]
After massive 15% EV penetration in June, July’s numbers are a little down. It looks like Tesla is back to its first-month-of-the-quarter slump, only delivering a little more than 900 Model Ys and Model 3s combined (compared to almost 5,000 in June). BYD surged about 160% year on year, but … [continued]
Compared with March 2025, plug-in vehicle sales dropped slightly in both New Zealand and Australia in April. In New Zealand, 649 cars with a plug were sold, approximately 10% of the market (7.3% BEV — 442 units, 3% PHEV — 207 units). In Australia, 8,628 cars with a plug were … [continued]
The Tesla Model 3 is still selling well, despite competition from newcomers like the Xpeng G6. Photo courtesy of Majella Waterworth.
Combining the numbers for plugin electric vehicles (PHEV plus BEV) gives Australia a penetration rate of 14.5% for March, a significant increase over last month. New Zealand numbers have been stuck at 7.3 %. That’s a long way down from the highs of 2023 when EVs comprised almost 25% of … [continued]
Weird things are happening in the Australian auto market at the moment. In recent weeks, we have seen the launch of several new electric vehicles: the BYD Shark EREV ute (see here), the fully electric Jeep Avenger, and the Deepal SO7 SUV made by Changan from China. Not only that, … [continued]
Battery electric vehicles only achieved a 5.9% penetration of the new vehicle market in Australia in August. This is 5,892 out of 100,786 total light vehicles sold. It was 6,743 in July. Perhaps it’s time to admit that there is a slowdown and a pivot to PHEVs. Strangely, the more … [continued]
Following the feedback of many of our readers, this time I have created something different, a markets roundup article! The article highlights the main EV markets and brings to the limelight a few others that are usually under the radar. Please note that some markets include estimates, so if you … [continued]
About 8% of new cars sold in Australia in July were plug-in electric vehicles (battery electric and plug-in hybrid). That’s down from the H1 average of approximately 10%. At least it isn’t Groundhog Day. The spectacular launch of Xpeng into the Australian market is expected to shift the ground. Although … [continued]
