New Caledonia October 2020: Changan Kaicene F70 in Top 10, CS35 Plus #20

The Changan/Kaicene F70 breaks into the New Caledonian Top 10 in October…

After a few euphoric months, new car sales in New Caledonia crumble down -30.2% year-on-year in October as the archipelago was focusing on a 2nd vote to declare independence from France where the No prevailed once again. The year-to-date tally remains however in positive at +1.6% year-on-year to 6.559 units. Brands-wise, Toyota (-19.5%) is sturdy at the helm but Ford (+20.6%) is catching up one spot on last month to #2. Citroen (-21.6%) is up 4 to #7 and it’s Kia (-5%) that delivers the best performance in the Top 10, remaining at #6 overall.

…also known as the Changan F70 Hunter…

Now we have a little more information about the Changan venture in New Caledonia. It turns out there are two brands present on the archipelago: Changan which markets the CS35 Plus as well as the pickup F70 Hunter. That last vehicle is also sold as the Kaicene F70 with a massive Kaicene brand logo on its grille. Kaicene is a subsidiary of Changan but to our knowledge it had not before been elevated as a standalone brand outside China. These two vehicles are identical and also clones of the Peugeot Pickup commercialised in northern Africa. Now that we cleared (?) that up, Changan is down one spot on September to #16 and 1.9% share but Kaicene lurches directly to #17 and 14%, distancing another Chinese brand: MG at #18. The last Chinese manufacturer in the charts, FAW, sinks 16 spots to #24.

…while the Changan CS35Plus breaks into the Top 20.

Model-wise, the Toyota Hilux (+40%) is boosted by its facelift while the Ford Ranger (-10.9%) leaps back up to 2nd place above the Peugeot 208 (-14.3%), Dacia Duster (-57.1%) and Citroen C3 (-28.1%). Despite an atrocious fall, the Duster remains by car the best-selling vehicle in New Caledonia this year with 6.6% share vs. 5.5% for the Toyota Hilux. Our strong newcomer the Changan Kaicene F70 leaps a further 4 spots to end the month equal #10 with the Kia Sportage. Changan and Kaicene indeed combine sales of this model here. All the while the Changan CS35 Plus soars to equal #20 with the Dacia Sandero (-52.6%). A very promising start for the Changan venture in New Caledonia indeed.

Previous month: New Caledonia (France) September 2020: FAW Bestune X40 in Top 5, Changan Kaicene F70 #15, market up 28.1%

Full October 2020 Top 35 All-brands and Top 20 models below.