New Car Sales July 2016 In Ireland

Data from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) for July 2016 shows that 29,931 new cars were registered in the first month of the new 162 registration, which is up 8% on July 2015 where 27,594 cars were registered in the same time period.

Total new car registrations for the year are already up 19% on the same period last year (131,264 vs. 109,931). The total to the end of July this year has already surpassed the total number of new cars registered for the whole of 2015, a figure of 124,947.

Commercial vehicle sales maintained growth in July 2016. Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) registrations are up 23% for the year to date compared to the same period last year, and are up 15% on July last year (4,341 vs. 3,760). Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) registrations are up 41% this year to date, are were up 37% for the month of July compared to the same month last year (397 vs. 290).

The data shows that Hyundai is Ireland’s bestselling car brand, followed by Toyota and Ford. The Hyundai Tucson was the top selling car in July but is also the bestselling car in Ireland to date in 2016, followed by the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf.

Commenting on the figures, Alan Nolan, SIMI Director General, said, “The motor industry performed strongly in the first half of 2016, with increased activity in both car and commercial vehicle sales. This growth has continued into July, although at a noticeably slower rate than the first two quarters, perhaps due to a combination of external factors such as Brexit and the fact that the extremely high growth rates of recent years must naturally slow as we get closer to a more normal market following a period of catch up.

It is important however for both the Industry and the Economy that, new vehicle sales continue to be at sustainable levels, which for new cars is in the region of 150,000 to 160,000, based on the current population and the age of the national car fleet. A new car market in the region of 150,000 delivers over €1 billion in tax revenues, supports the employment of more than 40,000 in the Motor Industry, and assists in reducing our CO² emissions from transport by tens of thousands of tonnes.

In this context, we would encourage a Budget strategy focused on building consumer confidence and improving the business environment, particularly with all recent economic forecasts for Ireland anticipating lower growth rates than had been previously expected for the remainder of this year and for 2017”.

Caroline Kidd