What's the news?
New car registrations rose slightly in May, compared to May 2017, with a 1.47 per cent climb to 6,080 registrations, as compared to 5,992 this time last year. However, total registrations for the year are still down (in spite of a similar low-percentage rise in registrations in April) with the total of 85,933 registrations for the year so far down on 2017's running total by 4.32 per cent.
Van registrations are still doing well, though - up by 12.5 per cent in May, compared to May of last year, part of an overall rise in van and light commercial registrations of 5.9 per cent for the year so far.
Heavy good vehicles are still in the doldrums, though, falling by 4.2 per cent in May, and 7.7 per cent for the year to date.
Imports of used cars are once again on the up, rising by a substantial 18.35 per cent in May, an increase of almost 1,400 cars compared to May 2017. Overall this year, imports are up by 13 per cent, to 43,738 cars.
Commenting on the figures SIMI Director General, Alan Nolan stated: "The volume of used imports is clearly the dominant feature and is continuing to impact negatively on the new car market. The slight increase in New car registrations for the month of May is not an indication of improvement, rather a case of altered timing in hire drive registrations with 470 more registered in May this year while the overall total for the year to date is actually 13 cars behind 2017. In line with earlier predictions Electric Vehicle (EV) sales have increased from 370 in 2017 to 512 this year. The number of Imported Used Electric Vehicles also increased from 165 to 280 this year. We would expect to see registrations of new EVs increase further as more new models come to market. The market share based on fuel type for the year to Date up to the end of May was: Diesel 55.6 per cent, Petrol 37.9 per cent, Hybrid 5.4 per cent, Plug-in Hybrid 0.5 per cent, Electric Vehicle 0.6 per cent. As we move into June the Industry is now focused on preparations for the start of the second peak sales period on 1st of July. In such a competitive market new car offers across all of the brands are very strong at the moment and the various advertising campaigns are in full swing. The advice to consumers, as always, is to shop around to find that deal that best suits their own specific needs."
So far this year, Volkswagen has been the top-selling brand, followed by Toyota, Hyundai, Ford, and Nissan. Nissan holds the best-selling model top-spot, though, with the Qashqai, followed by the Hyundai Tucson, Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus, and Skoda Octavia.