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Recently, a heat map circulated on the Internet in New Zealand, which was taken in the Port of Auckland:
The image sparked discussion, showing rows of imported Teslas neatly lined up in the Port of Auckland, ready to be shipped across New Zealand.
From the photos, there are at least a few hundred:
Netizens commented after reading: Tesla seems to be replacing BMW's jianghu status in New Zealand.
The Teslas were recently unloaded from two freighters (Turandot & Tannhauser) by Wallenius Wilhelmsen, the world's largest car shipping company.
The sight paints a picture of Tesla in the New Zealand market.
Yes, Tesla is indeed selling hot in New Zealand, and today we will analyze it.
2021: Tesla makes a big development in NZ
The year 2021, which just passed, became Tesla's year of development in New Zealand.
According to the Association of Automobile Manufacturers, Tesla registered 3,290 vehicles in New Zealand throughout the year, a significant leap from 519 in 2020 and 801 in 2019.
In contrast, BMW, which was once a symbol of status, registered 1,824 new cars last year.
To further explain, Tesla's Model 3, Model X and Model S vehicles accounted for almost half of all pure electric vehicle sales in New Zealand in 2021.
The chart below shows Tesla Model 3 sales in 2021 compared to several other electric and hybrid light vehicles:
The closest model to the Tesla Model 3's 3,283 units sold was the MG ZS EV, which reached 874 units. Further back are hyundai Kona's 826 vehicles.
Government subsidies are not small
There is no doubt that one driver of Tesla's sales growth is the New Zealand government's environmental subsidy scheme.
The subsidy scheme announced last year provides subsidies of up to $8,625 for the import of new and used electric vehicles, hybrids and other low-emission vehicles.
As soon as the policy took effect in September last year, Tesla sales soared from 191 to 1,066 in that month.
Sales fell in October and soared again in November and December.
According to the Association of Automobile Manufacturers, a total of 4905 Teslas have been registered in New Zealand since 2018, of which 2963 are registered in Auckland.
The following chart shows Tesla's registration in New Zealand over the past few years:
David Crawford, chief executive of the Association of The Automobile Industry, said these were just a fraction of Teslas, just numbers for new cars, not including how many used Teslas were imported into New Zealand during the period.
And demand has not slowed down.
Tesla New Zealand's official website currently shows that the waiting time for delivery of the Model 3 is 14 to 20 weeks, and if you want a more expensive Model X, you have to wait until October 2022.
Replace BMW as the new meme
The rapid popularity of Tesla, especially in Auckland, also shows the evolution of new Zealand social thought.
Often, the shift in the tastes of the wealthy often means that this trend will gradually spread to the middle and lower reaches.
Wealthy people in society who have money to buy a good car are now clearly starting to choose electric cars, and Tesla is currently the most famous of them.
The chart below shows Tesla's registration in the Oakland area over the past few years:
At the same time, it will also contain some cultural meaning changes.
For example, in the past, the BMW owner parking unruly is a meme that everyone understands:
This kind of diagram has socio-cultural implications, which looks both funny and satirizes some phenomena in social reality.
However, as Tesla gradually fought for a "new status symbol", this meme began to target Tesla's drivers - yes, they are all people who love to show off like this:
Electric car debate New Zealand heat continues
In New Zealand, Tesla has also become at the centre of a serious cultural debate.
When the government rolled out an environmental subsidy program, critics said it was rewarding those who were wealthy and buying expensive electric cars, while punishing those who bought affordable gasoline cars.
Economist Matt Burgess has criticized, "Who would be stingy about giving more than $8,000 in public funds to every proud owner of a new Tesla Model 3?" Just look at their smiles. Life must seem good for these people. There is a new car in the garage and no road usage fees are waived. There is also a government cheque for $8625, the so-called 'fee discount'. ”
Like fuel-efficient pickup trucks, which have long been used as a symbol for rural Communities in New Zealand, Tesla has become a symbol for some of the Champagne-drinking Aucklanders.
Pickup is a symbol of another kind of person in New Zealand
This symbolism of Tesla also goes beyond the car itself.
In New Zealand, many people who don't necessarily afford the company's cars are also buying Tesla stock.
Kirsten Lunman, managing director of investment platform Hatch, said the latest figures showed that by the end of 2021, about 15,000 New Zealanders had bought Tesla shares through their companies, investing more than $150 million.
This data is just an investment platform, and if you calculate other platforms, there will be a lot more.
So, the conclusion part: Whether you hate it or like it, Tesla has entered the Trend of the New Zealand era and is not going away anytime soon.
We just hope that these Tesla drivers are behind the wheel and a little better than the BMW drivers before them.
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