Great Minds Think Alike

I was walking past a pick up truck yesterday and said to my other half how there is no way I'd consider such a vehicle due to its excessive length. 

I questioned why it had to have such a long front nose and that for all its size, the rear tray wasn't that big. As a packaging exercise, I opined it was a big fail. There must be a better way.

Then today I came across the Telo MT1. OK, so it's more a city car with a useful rear tray. Yet how many people buy a humungous pick up when all they need is something with the same basic attributes contained within much smaller dimensions. Well, here is an answer.

It has the same footprint as a three door MINI which admittedly isn't that mini, but that's still impressive. It seats five, uses electricity to propel it along the road and longer, flatter items can be pushed into the cab when extra length is required. 

So an idea with potential. They haven't disclosed where it will be built but it seems it will be outsourced to a manufacturer. Perhaps Tesla may be up for it as it would make a change for them to make a pick up that people actually want to own. (The Telo website link).

NZ Pick Up Sales : 2022-25 (Jan-Aug '25)

Pick up vehicles are popular here, suiting the outdoor leisure lifestyle and are sought after by tradesmen. 

Japanese models dominate, US and European brands have a few representatives but China is starting to make inroads. Some of the names may be unfamiliar

The Toyota Hilux (picture above) was last top in 2013 but since then it has been the Ford Ranger on top. Ford's sales superiority was under threat earlier in the year but normal service appears to have been resumed. 

There is a new 10th generation Hilux coming so the old outgoing ninth generation surprised me by its strong sales. 

Mitsubishi, Nissan and Isuzu are always in the mix behind the top two. Mazda was also in the mix but has pulled the plug on a relatively new pick up sourced from Isuzu. It's now in run out mode. That's another surprise.

The rest are small selling models except for one new brand that is making big waves in a short period of time. That's the hybrid BYD Shark (see pic below chart). Pick up truck owners are a loyal bunch but BYD is winning over customers.

RHD conversions of US sourced trucks are gaining traction in Australia and some are coming across the Tasman Sea. RAM and Chevrolet are two that make that journey. However, Toyota has no plans to bring the Tundra over and the Ford F-150 is unconfirmed as far as I know. 

Please note in the chart the 2024 figures are full year.

Data source: Thanks to NZTA. Photos: Toyota & BYD NZ.

New Zealand Passenger Car Sales : 2025 (Jan-Aug)

Registrations were up 20% in August and they also increased 13% YTD to 60,278. Add to that 57,483 used passenger cars, which brings the total close to 120,000.  

Toyota is the brand chosen in 20% of purchases. Mitsubishi, Kia and Suzuki followed but a huge gap remains. All the top four have lost market share in 2025. Ford relies heavily on the Ranger pickup but as it is treated as a light commercial vehicle, it is excluded from this list. It would be second placed if commercials were added. 

Chinese brands of note are MG (6th), Haval (11th), and BYD (13th). GWM (which includes Haval, Tank and Ora) is separated here which otherwise would sneak into the top ten if all were combined. Jaecoo, Omoda, Chery and Leapmotor are new entrants, so how they progress will be interesting. 

A few US brands are arriving so they are no longer all under GM US as I used to do it. GMC, Chevrolet and Cadillac are the brands involved, the latter electric only. The Yukon, Corvette and Lyric are the models represented so far. 

Jaguar stopped making cars a while back but stock must have been secured to keep sales going as far as now. Market share in 2025 is up on 2024 so punters have been keen to obtain a vehicle before they disappear as an affordable marque. 

The top selling models YTD:

Toyota RAV4 6,219

Mitsubishi ASX 2,844

Kia Seltos 2,470

Mitsubishi Outlander 2,254

Ford Everest 1,713

Suzuki Swift 1,304

MG ZS 1,320

Toyota LC Prado 1,138

Haval H6 1,124

For 2024 articles, simply click on the links below:

By brand.

Top 40 Models.

Data source: NZTA. Picture sources: Mitsubishi, GWM.