What's the news?
Doing anything on the 21st of January? Well, it seems - statistically at any rate - that you might just be buying a car, as according to research by Carzone.ie, the 21st of January is the day that car buyers are most likely to swoop on their desired purchase.
Commenting on the findings, Karl Connolly, Audience Manager Carzone said: "January is traditionally a time of change and as we reach the end of the month, many of us start looking to upgrade our car. Based on previous years we know that the third Monday of January is the day when people start to think seriously about this and start looking. For those who want to change their car this year, Carzone offers the best selection of new and used cars in Ireland. Whether you are looking for a family saloon, an electric car or a car under a certain price point this January, Carzone has a car to suit all tastes and budgets."
Those dealers hoping that the 21st augers for a dramatic rise in new car sales might be disappointed, though. While the data shows that half of all of us intend to buy a car, and that the 21st is the most likely day for us to do it, the research covers used cars, up to two years old, as well as new.
There is good news for some specific car makers, though. Carzone has been monitoring the cars searched for in its database of new and used vehicles, and these are the ones that are coming up trumps. For small hatchbacks, it's the Volkswagen Golf. For small cars, the Ford Fiesta. The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is the most-searched for executive car, while the Nissan Qashqai is the most-wanted compact SUV. The Volkswagen Passat gets the nod in the family saloon class, while the most searched for estate car is the Audi A6 Avant. For large SUVs it's the BMW X5, for hybrids it's the Toyota Yaris, and for electric cars it's the Nissan Leaf.