Registrations of new cars in Ireland rose a little in October, compared to October 2019. Registrations increased by 6.2 per cent, to 2,315 registrations last month, compared to 2,179 registrations in the same month last year. Overall registrations for the year are still down significantly, though - by 25 per cent to 86,870 registrations, compared to 116,124 registrations at this time last year.
Small upward tick
While the small upward tick in October will be taken as good news, overall the car industry in Ireland remains gloomy as it attempts to deal with the ongoing COVID crisis and the impending fallout from Brexit, whatever that may be. Brian Cooke, Director General of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) said: "October new car and light commercial vehicle registrations are broadly in line with the same month last year. However, like many other retail sectors, overall this year has been hugely difficult due to COVID-19, with new car sales down 25 per cent year to date. With car showrooms closed for the next number of weeks due to Government COVID-19 restrictions, retailers have been enhancing their online presence, particularly with the month of November being the key selling period for forward orders for the new registration plate in January. Manufacturers and retailers are already offering generous incentives for customers to buy a new car. With the ongoing impact of COVID and the impending Brexit deadline fast approaching it is vital that the Government continue to support business in this uncertain trading environment."
Van registrations on the up
There were some bright spots in the figures. Registrations of light commercial vehicles (vans, basically) were up significantly, by 56 per cent in October, compared to October 2019. For the year to date, vans have outperformed cars, with registrations falling by 15 per cent. Heavy goods vehicle registrations also rose, by 15 per cent in October, but are also down for the year to date by 21 per cent.
The fall in used imports continues to slow. Although, for the whole year, imports from the UK have fallen by 37.7 per cent, in October that slowdown was only by 18 per cent compared to October 2019. So far 58,504 used cars have been imported this year.
VW ID.3 selling strongly
In terms of the sales charts, Volkswagen is in pole position as far as brands are concerned, with Toyota in second place, followed by Hyundai, Skoda and Ford. The Toyota Corolla remains the best-selling individual vehicle, followed by the Hyundai Tucson (even though a brand new model is imminent), Volkswagen Tiguan, Ford Focus and Hyundai Kona. October's best-selling car was the Volkswagen's all-electric ID.3, topping the charts for a second month running. It led another good month for electric cars, which saw their sales rise by 3.25 per cent, on top of a 20 per cent climb in EV registrations for the year to date.