Ford NZ says it’s not anticipating a jump in Ranger registrations following the axing of the Clean Car Discount (CCD) and so-called ‘ute tax’.
The Coalition Government officially ended the scheme at 11.59pm on New Year’s Eve, with the portal to apply for the discount switched off.
It led some to ask if this would lead to a spike in ute registrations, but Ford NZ spokesperson Tom Clancy reckons this won’t be the case.
“Overall, we are confident Ranger will continue to be number one in New Zealand in 2024 with its segment leading capability, performance and cleaner powertrains, which is what has been behind the success of the Ranger – with or without a CCD.
“So the short answer is no. We do anticipate a surge in Q1 with some customers that held off in Q4 23 now taking delivery.
“For the full year, we expect the Ford Ranger to continue its popularity but not due to the removal of the CCD,” Clancy says.
The new government says it was long keen to see the scheme gone.
“Scrapping the ‘ute tax’ as part of the National-ACT coalition agreement was a priority in our 100-day plan, and we have delivered on that commitment,” Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.
“The days of unfairly taxing our farmers and tradies are now behind us.
“The previous government’s scheme was inequitable and fiscally irresponsible, offering subsidies to individuals buying electric vehicles, while imposing taxes on hardworking farmers and tradies who have little choice about the type of vehicle they need for work,” Brown says.
