Registrations of new cars, rather unsurprisingly, fell by 96 per cent in April, compared to the same month last year. In April 2019, 8,904 new cars were sold and delivered. The figure for April 2020 is a mere 344. The best-selling single model in April was actually the Toyota Land Cruiser, 25 of which were delivered, on foot of a long-standing order, to the Irish Defence Forces.
Imports fall in line with new car registrations
Because of the April plummet, registrations for the year to date are now down by 30.7 per cent, to 50,626 vehicles. 73,030 vehicles had been registered by this time last year. Light commercial registrations (vans, basically) have fallen by 87.3 per cent, while heavy goods vehicles registrations fell by a comparatively gentle 67.8 per cent. Used car imports have fallen in line with new vehicle registrations - they were down by 97.8 per cent (to 199 cars, and no, we're not even sure how that happened either. Who's taking a ferry right now?) and by 50 per cent for the year to date (to 17,669 cars).
Still some optimism around
Even with all the bloodletting, there is some small sliver of optimism in the air. Registrations of new cars in China have bounced back strongly since the lockdowns there began to lift, and other European countries such as Germany, France, and Denmark are already starting to re-open their car markets.
On top of that, the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) has said that car dealers have been using the down-time to prepare their dealerships for selling and servicing cars in the social-distancing of the post-lockdown era.
Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General commenting on the market figures said: "Like many other sectors of the economy, Covid-19 is having a devastating impact on the Irish Motor Industry. SIMI Members have during the course of the lockdown to date, been available to assist in emergency and essential call outs. We continue to play our part in keeping vital goods and services moving. However, the registration numbers underline the lack of activity in new vehicle sales, and this is replicated for used cars and servicing. While the short-term outlook for the Irish economy is bleak, once the health situation allows the Motor Industry is ready to get back to work. Members have used this downtime to implement measures, in accordance with both Industry and State guidelines, that will protect both their employees and customers against the spread of Covid-19. The size of dealerships and the average footfall, for both sales and servicing, lends itself to social distancing. While sanitisation measures being put in place for both premises and vehicles, means that safety and protection are at the top of the agenda.
"With the July registration period approaching, the Motor Industry will be well placed to help start activity in the Irish economy. This has the potential to protect the nearly 50,000 people in employment in the sector, increasing Government Revenues, improving the safety of the cars on Irish roads, while also improving Ireland's environmental performance by replacing old cars with new or newer cars. In this context, continuation of the current supports and cash flow benefits from Revenue will be important, while additional measures such as the cancelling of rates bills, and reductions in VAT and VRT would be very helpful as would the immediate re-opening of NCT and commercial vehicle test centres."
Toyota the best-selling make and model
For what it's worth, Toyota is still the best-selling brand in the country for the year so far, followed by Volkswagen, Hyundai, Skoda, and Ford. The best-selling model for 2020 so far is the Toyota Corolla, followed by the Hyundai Tucson, Volkswagen Tiguan, Ford Focus, and Skoda Octavia. Diesel is still the most popular engine type - 43.9 per cent of buyers chose a black-pump model, while 38.05 per cent went for petrol, 12.33 per cent for hybrid, 3.37 per cent for electric, and 2.06 per cent for plug-in hybrid.