A perfect storm has resulted in Subaru of New Zealand achieving an all-time monthly sales record in March.
Subaru achieved 20% more sales in one month than ever before, closing the month on 461 units sold. The last time Subaru clocked a sales record was January 2019, when a strong month occurred courtesy of the demand for the SUV range, before Covid-19 disrupted the momentum. Prior to that date, Subaru had enjoyed seven consecutive years of growth.
Several factors contributed to the record March sales, including the recently launched, stylish 2021 Forester X Sport. This model variant has boosted the Forester’s popularity and is responsible for a third of Forester’s sales. It also helped to produce a record sales month for the medium-sized SUV, beating the previous Forester monthly sales record by 25%.
Off the back of it its first full month of sales following the national launch at the end of February, the much-anticipated 2021 Outback - fondly dubbed ‘The GOOAT,’ standing for The Greatest Outback of All Time - also broke the previous monthly sales record. The Subaru Outback had its greatest month of all time, recording over 200 sales in one month for the first time in history.
Subaru of New Zealand’s Managing Director Wallis Dumper knew the all-new Outback would be a success.
“There has been a lot of hype and excitement around its arrival, with many of our long-standing Subaru drivers ready to replace their previous generation Outback. But its sales reveal that it was not just hype and the GOOAT campaign has simply magnified demand for Kiwi SUV buyers in Subaru Country!” Mr Dumper says.
Delayed Subaru shipments finally arriving in March also bolstered sales and provided long-awaited relief for the Kiwi adventure brand’s 16 Subaru Authorised Centres, which urgently needed to replenish new car stock.
Mr Dumper describes the March sales record as a welcome combination of events that produced this powerful result.
“They added up to the much-needed perfect storm. We have customers waiting as some of our Subaru dealers are out of stock and we already have factory back orders through to the third quarter.”
Although global supply constraints continue and Subaru of New Zealand is not immune to them, Mr Dumper says: “We have had phenomenal support from Subaru Corporation, in Japan, which is doing its best to help us realise the full potential of the new Outback. Being small but outperforming much bigger markets, like the United Kingdom, certainly helps.”
“However, we have been in the unfortunate situation of not being able to supply some of our new 2021 models, including our popular, compact SUV, the Subaru XV, which would have also set a sales record if we had been able to secure allocation. Unprecedented demand beyond what we are able to supply is a good problem to have, but we like to think that our customers understand the situation and are willing to be patient, as we know it will be worth the wait.”
“The reality is that we are probably missing sales and as a company, we are doing our best to mitigate this. Fortunately, we have a loyal base of Subaru purchasers who cherish the invisible advantages of Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and we are seeing strong forward orders.”
Mr Dumper acknowledges that other automotive manufacturers have also had record-breaking months.
“After the year we have had, this is a phenomenal boost for the automotive industry. While we are yet to receive the final results for the monthly industry performance, March is expected to be an exceptional month across the board. Congratulations to all the automotive brands that have had an outstanding month and long may it last!”
Mr Dumper concludes by recognising the team that has made Subaru’s March result possible.
“Thank you to our Authorised Subaru Centres, many of whom have been with us on this journey for over 25 years. It’s been a challenging 12 months for our owner-operator businesses around the country and to see a result like this, only 12 months after the grim picture economists painted for our future, is extremely rewarding.”
“I also want to welcome any new Subaru drivers to the Subaru family, and welcome back our loyal customers. We trust they will enjoy exploring their backyard in their new Subaru, which will be getting them to places they would rather be.”
The future continues to look bright for Subaru, with a limited-edition performance model hitting New Zealand’s shores in the coming months. Hot on the heels of this last-of-its-kind limited edition STI, will be the arrival of the completely revamped 2022 WRX in the new year.
Supply chain challenges will have the biggest potential impact on specific dates for these model launches and they will be confirmed later in the year.
Catherine Pattison
Public Relations
Subaru of New Zealand
M +64 (0)27 44 55 389
E catherine.pattison@subaru.co.nz
subaru.co.nz