The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) has released figures showing that new car sales failed to make any sort of recovery during the month of May.
May's new car sales didn't top 6,000 units, recording a drop of 22.5 per cent on May 2012. Last month was also the worst performing period so far this year, bringing year-to-date figures down by 14.5 per cent compared with the same period last year.
Last month's poor performance was not felt by everyone though, as Toyota enjoyed being the best-selling car brand of the month; and the Nissan Qashqai was the best-selling model.
Despite this, Alan Nolan, General Director of SIMI, believes that figures may rise again before the end of the year. "This year with the new '132' registration period beginning on the July 1st, there are now real benefits for consumers buying at this time of year and the industry is gearing up for some extra interest and activity in July."
Nolan goes on to say that there may be a flurry of activity in June as well; as buyers flock to grab bargain deals before the new registration hits the market next month.
As well as the new '132' plate, it will be interesting to see whether or not the warmer weather will spark an increase in the sales of convertibles, as a measly 39 drop-tops were sold across Ireland in the first five months of the year. Sports coupés are also showing poor sales with less than 350 units sold since January.