How many Volkswagen Santanas are left in New Zealand?
Super rare 1 in 779,145 on the road Built 1984-1988 Japanese import
Updated from the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register, counted as at 31 August 2026. Recounted every month.
A four-door sedan version of the second-generation Passat, launched in 1981. The ones of Japanese origin are a curiosity: Nissan built the Santana under licence in Japan from 1984. The car had its longest life in China, where it was made for decades and became a standard taxi.
Still on the road, by model year
The most are from 1988: 3 still registered. Every year is listed under the chart.
Every model year
| Model year | Still registered |
|---|---|
| 1984 | 1 |
| 1985 | 1 |
| 1986 | 1 |
| 1988 | 3 |
What Super rare means
Spotto grades every car by how many are still registered in New Zealand. With 6 still registered, the Volkswagen Santana is Super rare: the grade for cars with 5 to 24 left.
By how many are left it ranks 44th of the 48 Volkswagen models and equal 2,199th of all 2,903 cars in Spotto's catalogue.
The six grades: Common, 8,000 or more · Uncommon, 1,200 to 7,999 · Scarce, 175 to 1,199 · Rare, 25 to 174 · Super rare, 5 to 24 · Unicorn, fewer than 5.
Seen one?
Spotto grades every car on New Zealand roads by how many are still registered, down to the generation and the badge. Log the ones you spot, build a collection, and see who else has found one.