Irish new car sales dropped a little in June, by just over 13 per cent. Sales are still well ahead of where they were in 2014 though, up by around 25 per cent year on year. The has been a consistent slide in sales since March, though, so Ireland's car sellers will be nervously watching the initial sales figures for the new registration plate as they come in this week. Will the sales bonanza pick up again or will broader economic worries (Grexit, sliding value of the Euro) hold buyers back?
For now though, 2015 still looks like a good year for the Irish motor trade. Sales currently stand at 82,337 for the year thus far, and it is hoped that the total market for the year will exceed 100,000 sales. If it does so, that will be the first 100k+ market since 2007.
Volkswagen occupied the top spot in sales as far as brands are concerned, with 10,000 sales so far this year. Toyota is in second place with Ford in third. In terms of individual models, it is also Volkswagen on top with the Golf, followed by the Ford Focus and Nissan Qashqai.
Commenting on the figures Brian Cooke Deputy Director General SIMI said: "The first half of 2015 so far has been a positive news story for the Industry and we expect that this will continue for the remainder of the year. Car registrations have shown strong growth, and while car sales for the month of June are down on last year, this is not surprising considering that many customers are waiting for the arrival of the new 152 plate, which commences today. In recent weeks, car Manufacturers and dealers have been busy promoting their 152 incentives, which offer great value across all brands, in preparation for increased activity, which is expected with the arrival of the new plate. Industry projections indicate that new car sales are set to soar to 120,000 by the end of the year, and it is expected growth will continue into next year also.
"The increase in both business and consumer confidence is evident within the commercial vehicle sector, with Light Commercial Vehicle registrations showing an increase so far this year of over 50%, and we can expect to see sales exceed 20,000 for the first time since 2008. HGV registrations have seen improvement for the month of June which will hopefully continue as the year progresses."
Paul Burke, Head of Operations, Volkswagen Passenger cars commented: "Our dealers are seeing a strong resurgence in demand year to date and we are confident based on our product updates scheduled for the second half that our growth story can continue. Year to date this has been driven by strong demand for Ireland's favourite car model, Golf and the newly launched Passat, which are delivering footfall in our dealerships nationwide. New models such as the new Touran will also deliver interest in the second half."