Sales of cars through the government's Scrappage Scheme are set to beat the target of 10,000 units with four weeks still to run of the programme. So far, 9,360 cars have been sold through the scheme in 2011, adding to the 17,272 sold in 2010.
The Scrappage Scheme has been deemed a success by the government, helping to raise more than €86 million in revenue. The Society of the Irish Motor Industry's (SIMI) Director General, Alan Nolan, said: "We predicted that 10,000 scrappage cars would be sold this year. We're not far off that mark and should exceed the figure by the time the scheme ends on the June 30th.
"It's important to recognise what Scrappage has achieved. Even after the government discounts, over €86 million has been generated in VAT and VRT for the government so the scheme has made significant revenue for the government. Of course, the main benefit is for the motorist who has got a fantastic deal under the Scrappage Scheme and with an environmental focus, they are also benefiting from cheaper running costs too. Scrappage cars only represent around 15% of total new cars so that's clear evidence of the great deals offered by dealers to all customers.
"With just 4 weeks to go, we do expect a lot of sales as motorists avail of last minute bargains out there."
The most popular makes sold through the Scrappage Scheme are Toyota at number one with 1,949 sales to date, followed by Renault, Ford, Volkswagen and Skoda. Nissan, Opel, Kia, Hyundai and SEAT, in that order, round out the top 10.
Dublin and Cork are the two counties where the most cars have been sold under the Scrappage Scheme, with 2,223 and 1,525 cars respectively. More than half of the cars sold through the scheme have been VRT Category A cars, accounting for 53% of sales across Ireland.
