An extra 153 cars were registered in November, compared to the same month last year, according to data from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI). That equates to a 20 per cent increase in registrations, but it won't make much of a dent in overall 2020 registrations, which remain down by 25 per cent for the year to date.
Safe re-opening
At any rate, Ireland's car dealers are more concerned with re-opening safely this week, after six weeks of lockdown, and looking forward to January and the hoped-for improvement in registrations that may (or may not) come with 2021.
Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General said: "While the registration numbers year to date highlight the extremely difficult trading conditions, down 25 per cent on last year and 40 per cent since 2016, today Ireland moves out of Level 5 restrictions which sees motor retailers re-open their vehicle sales functions. SIMI members operate with large well-ventilated showrooms and this along with the ability to display vehicles in an outdoor setting allow for business to be done in a very low risk environment for the transmission of COVID-19, making them safe for both customers and staff. With the key New Year selling period only weeks away, this re-opening comes at an opportune time. The use of digital platforms during the lockdown has provided an important shop window for customers looking to buy a new or used car and with Vehicle Manufacturers and retailers offering generous incentives to buy a new "211" car, the Industry is hopeful that activity will be brisk in the coming weeks and months ahead."
Imports recover slightly
Registrations of light commercial vehicles (vans, to you and I) slipped a little in November - by 3.2 per cent, and are down by 14.8 per cent for the year to date. HGV registrations fell by 30 per cent in November, and are down by 21 per cent for the whole year.
Imports of second-hand cars have actually recovered a little in the past few months - which won't be welcome news to Irish dealers - with 8,647 used cars imported, mostly from the UK, which represents a 13.6 per cent decrease on November last year. Overall, for the year to date, imports are down by 35.4 per cent, but they had been down by as much as 50 per cent earlier this year, off the back of the NOX levy introduced last January.
Electric car sales stutter
Electric car registrations continue to rise, with an extra 15 per cent EV sales for the year to date, but battery car registrations slowed suddenly in November, falling by 68 per cent.
In the sales charts, Volkswagen holds the top spot for brands, followed by Toyota, Hyundai, Skoda, and Ford. The best-selling car for the year to date is the Toyota Corolla, followed by the Hyundai Tucson, the Volkswagen Tiguan, the Ford Focus, and the Hyundai Kona. The best selling car in November was the Hyundai Tucson - interesting, given that it's about to be replaced by a new, much more excitingly-styled, version.