Motor Imports Increased

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 516, 20 November 1928, Page 7

Motor Imports Increased

Return for 9 Months Shows £250.000 Gain During the first nine months of 1928, motor vehicles valued at £1.680,483 were imported into New Zealand. This figure is £255,633 greater than the return for the first nine months of last year, so the motor industry must be in a fairly prosperous condition. The increased business can be traced entirely to the private car side of the industry, as the number imported in the nine months of this year. 10.118, is- 34 per cent, above last year’s corresponding figures. Calculating dutiable value, duties and profits, it is estimated that, so far in 1928, nearly £3,000,000 has been spent in retail car purchases. Following are details of the dutiable values of cars, chassis and commercial vehicles of all types imported during the three quarters of’each year:

Car and car chassis imports totalled 10,118, as compared with 7,553 in 1927. The greatest rise was- in American cars, which totalled 6.320, or nearly two-thirds of the aggregate from all sources. There was also a larger demand for British cars and imports from Canada improved slightly. Italian cars, which enjoyed a considerable market in 1927, were negligible this year, while the imports of French makes trebled. There is no tendency to import more chassis for New Zealand bodies and the total of 10,118 included only 393 bodyless chassis, while the aggregate of 7,553 last year embraced 599 car chassis. - Following are details of the origins of the cars and car chassis imported during the two periods:

192S. 1927. £ . . 1,005,233 775,534 Great Britain 392,266 374,764 21,673 6,482 Belgium .. .. 6,128 Germany .. .. 1,651 £1,680,483 £1,424,850

1928. 1927. 1 No. No. 3,830 1,452 Canada France 25 Italy . .. 2 Belgium Germany 2 10,118 7,553