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We had been expecting, for the first time ever, to anoint a Korean brand as the best-selling car maker in Ireland, but it didn't happen. Since last January, Hyundai, mostly thanks to exceptional sales of its Tucson SUV, had held the top spot in both single vehicle and brand sales, ahead of more traditional incumbents Toyota, Ford and Volkswagen. Hyundai was all set to be the first Korean brand to take the No. 1 spot.
But it didn't happen.
At almost literally the last minute, Toyota saw a sudden surge in sales (or at least, in registrations) mostly down to its new C-HR crossover that gave it, at the final tally, a 250-car lead over Hyundai.
The final total market sales of 146,672 cars registered represent a healthy enough figure, but the final market growth, compared to 2015, of 17 per cent, shows a distinct cooling in the Irish car market, especially since July.
Alan Nolan, Director General, Society of the Irish Motor Industry, said that: "new car registrations for 2016 finished at 146,600 for the full year, making it the highest year for new car registrations since 2008. Despite some slowing in the second half of the year, the numbers are in line with expectations at the start of 2016 and underline the continued growth and buoyancy in the economy. Used car imports have also seen growth, partly due to the strong economic recovery, but also driven by short supply of 2009-2013 Irish used cars and the strengthening of the Euro against sterling following the Brexit Referendum. Almost 50 per cent of imported used cars were in this age profile, between three and five years old, and almost another 40 per cent are over six years old. As we move into 2017 and the new 171 registration period the Industry is anticipating a continuation of the strong performance seen during 2016 and is projecting similar registration numbers to last year."
Not everyone is so convinced of a rosy 2017, however. Commenting on the figures, Michael Rochford, Managing Director of Motorcheck.ie said: "it's been another very productive year for the Irish Motor Trade with comparable proportional increases in both the New Car and Light Commercial Vehicle sectors. But with the advent of Brexit and the weakening of Sterling, Used Car Imports grew significantly in the second half of 2016 with each of the last 5 months of 2016 posting increases in excess of 75 per cent on the previous year and finishing the year with just over a 50 per cent increase in imports or 72.5k imports in total. That's an increase of 24,249 additional Used Cars imported into Ireland over and above last year. There is evidence to suggest that a lot of people who may have been waiting to purchase a new car in 2017 took advantage of the drop in sterling and opted to import a nearly-new vehicle at the end of 2016 instead. With Used Cars imported into Ireland during 2016 reaching the highest levels we've seen in 10 years consumers are advised to be extra vigilant when making a purchase and ensure they perform a check to ensure the vehicle has not been clocked, written-off or still under finance."
As for Toyota, its late ascendance to the top spot was pleasing for its MD, Steve Tormey, who said that: "2016 was a great year for Toyota and we are proud to have once again regained the status of being the best-selling car brand in Ireland. Particularly pleasing was the continuing strong demand we experienced right across our range coupled with significantly increased consumer movement into hybrid vehicles. We believe this trend will continue with our newest model, the C-HR as well as other new model introductions later this year."
Hyundai had to be content with the best-selling individual model laurels (the Tucson) and with the fact that it recorded a 34 per cent growth in sales, far better than its closest competitors managed. Stephen Gleeson, Managing Director Hyundai Ireland, said: "it is fantastic to see the continued momentum behind the brand and witness the phenomenal growth in our sales, and an increase in our market share of 200 per cent since 2010."