The Volkswagen Golf: Ireland’s top selling car in May 2016New car registrations in Ireland have reached almost 100,000 in the first 5 months of this year, which is the highest for this time frame since 2008.
99,740 new cars have been registered in the first five months of 2016, which is a 23% increase on the same period last year (80,889).
According to official statistics released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), the growth seen in new car sales over the last three years did slow down in May 2016 – they were down -6% (6,532) compared to May 2015 (6,919).
Volkswagen has regained its top spot as Ireland’s bestselling car brand ahead of Toyota and Hyundai. The Volkswagen Golf was the bestselling car in May 2016 (312 units), ahead of the Hyundai Tucson (252) and Skoda Octavia (209). The Hyundai Tucson still holds onto its crown as Ireland’s bestselling car to date in 2016 ahead of the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus.
Commercial vehicle sales maintained growth in May 2016. Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) registrations are up 27% for the first five months of 2016 compared to the same period last year, and are up 8% (1,839) on May 2015 (1,705). Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) registrations are up 53% this year to date, and up 38% for the month of May (307) compared to the same month last year (222).
Commenting on the figures, SIMI Director General Alan Nolan said, “The new shape of seasonality in the Industry is settling in with the sector now beginning to turn its focus on the 162 period for new car sales. Since the introduction of the dual registration plate system, the percentage of new car registrations occurring in the second half of the year has been increasing year on year from 14% in 2011 to 34% last year. This new shape to the year does give dealers a better opportunity to focus on used car sales at this stage in the year to help clear the decks in anticipation of the next key sales period for new cars.”
Caroline Kidd.