The Ford Kuga sold well in Ireland in September
The Ford Kuga sold well in Ireland in September

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) has released the latest official new vehicle registration statistics, which show that total new car registrations for September 2019 were up 7.4% (3,428) when compared with September 2018 (3,192).

New car registrations year to date are down 7.5% (113,958) on the same period last year (123,195).

The top five bestselling brands year to date are 1. Volkswagen, 2. Toyota, 3. Hyundai, 4. Ford and 5. Skoda.

The top five bestselling models year to date are 1. Toyota Corolla, 2. Hyundai Tucson, 3. Nissan Qashqai, 4. Skoda Octavia and 5. Volkswagen Tiguan.

The bestselling car in the month of September was the Ford Kuga.

New electric vehicle registrations continue to grow month on month with a total of 2,976 electric cars registered so far this year.

Used car imports year to date are at 82,432 compared to 77,278 for the same period in 2018, an increase of 6.7%.

New Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) registrations are up 6.2% (1,346) on September 2018 (1,268), yet registrations year to date are down 1.7% (23,258). While New Heavy Commercial Vehicles (HGV) decreased 22.9% (145) in comparison to September 2018 (188) and year to date are up 0.9% (2,350)

Imported Used Cars for September saw an increase of 20.3% (10,220) on the same month last year (8,494) and year to date imports are up 6.7% (82,432) ahead of 2018 (77,278).

Commenting on the registration’s figures Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General said: “With the announcement of Budget 2020 only a week away, we in SIMI continue to underline to Government not to increase taxation on new cars. New car sales have fallen in each of the last 3 years, and with Brexit now only weeks away, business risk in our sector is at its highest level in almost a decade. In this uncertain business and consumer environment, any taxation increase would only further undermine an already fragile new car market. This in turn will endanger both Exchequer Revenues and employment, while at the same time act as a barrier to the renewal of Ireland’s car fleet which is key to reducing emissions from transport. Our Industry can’t afford for the Government to get Budget 2020 wrong, as the impact would have far reaching consequences that could extend for many years well beyond 2020.”