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Story: Regional economies

Cheap imported cars

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Cheap imported cars

Some regional economies changed in character when manufacturing plants closed. Car assembly had stopped in New Zealand by 1998. A new service industry developed – the import and sale of relatively cheap cars, often bought by dealers second-hand in Japan.

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How to cite this page

Malcolm McKinnon, Regional economies – Regional economies, 1960 to 2000, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/25233/cheap-imported-cars (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Malcolm McKinnon, published 6 April 2010.