Fancy some good news for a change? Well, it's been a week now since Ireland's car dealers were allowed to re-open to actual visiting customers, as the Covid regulations are relaxed, and the early word is that sales seem to be picking up.
Steady flow of business
According to the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), dealers are: "reporting steady flow in business, with an increase in enquiries for both new and used cars, and this should be reflected when the official new car registration numbers for the month are released next week."
Gillian Fanning, President of SIMI said: "The Motor Industry like many other Industries has faced significant challenges over the past 15 months. To have all parts of our sector fully operational will help secure the continuation of many businesses, and safeguard local employment and the 40,000 employed nationally in our Industry. Recovery against Covid will clearly be driven by the vaccine rollout and while we face considerable uncertainty, pent up demand and the accumulation of personal savings over the last year are reasons to be optimistic. It is hoped that some of these savings might translated into car sales, both new and used in the months ahead, while the removal of the inter-county travel restrictions should increase the level of vehicle service business across the National Fleet."
How quickly we've adapted
Ms Fanning continued: "What's become evident throughout this pandemic is just how quickly businesses have adapted to changing circumstances. Companies have innovated in finding new solutions, new channels to bring offerings to market and new ways to build value for themselves and their customers. The use of digital platforms has helped to accelerate our Industry into the digital space and online media has provided an important shop window for customers looking to buy a new or used car."
Post-lockdown sales bounce
If there is a car-sales bounce-back, post-lockdown, that would be in line with the experiences of other major markets, such as China, which saw a significant surge in car sales as people were able to get back out into society. Recent data from the Central Statistics Office suggests that people are currently still reluctant to use public transport, and that could be contributing to an increase in sales.