New Car Registrations In Ireland In April 2018
Official data from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) shows that total new car registrations for the month of April in Ireland were up 3.33% (8,102) when compared to April 2017 (7,841).
New car registrations year to date remain down 4.68% (79,897) on the same period last year (83,823).
New Light Commercial Vehicle registrations (LCV) were up 6.51% (1,800) on April 2017 (1,690) and year to date are up 5.39% (14,323).
New Heavy Commercial Vehicles (HCV) registrations are also up 4.74% for the month of April (243) compared to the same month last year (232), and are down 8.31% (1,158) year to date.
Imported Used Cars have increased 19.31% for April 2018 (8,649) when compared to April 2017 (7,249) and year to date are 11.74% (34,763) ahead of 2017 (31,111).
Commenting on the figures SIMI Deputy Director General, Brian Cooke said “April’s registration statistics released today are broadly in line with expectations. The slight increases in all sectors for the month can be attributed somewhat to the extra working days in April 2018 compared to last year, as Easter fell in March. Brexit continues to impact on business, as evidenced by the continued strong levels of used imports from the UK. Total new car registrations are projected to reach around 120,000 by the end of the year, a decline of 8.6% on 2017.”
The top 5 bestselling car brands so far in 2018 are:
1. Volkswagen
2. Hyundai
3.Toyota
4.Ford
5. Nissan
The top 5 bestselling models so far in 2018 are:
1. Nissan Qashqai
2. Hyundai Tucson
3. Volkswagen Golf
4. Ford Focus
5. Skoda Octavia
The bestselling car in April in Ireland was the Volkswagen Polo.
New Car Sales In Ireland In January 2017
According to figures released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), new car registrations in Ireland were down 1.7% in January 2017 compared to the same time last year. The month ended 39,019 new 171 cars registered versus 39,722 in January 2016.
Light commercials registrations were down 2.4% (6,394) compared to January last year (6,555), while HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) registrations were down 6.3% (456) for January in comparison to the same time last year (487).
Commenting on the figures, economist Jim Power said, "Looking ahead to 2017, while the outlook for car sales is a bit more difficult to predict than last year, the projected growth in personal disposable incomes and the availability of credit provide solid support for car sales. However, the impact of Brexit and the increased volume in imported used cars are other issues that may impact on new car sales this year., Overall, though, numbers should be fairly close to last year with perhaps a slight decline of around 3% in new car sales in 2017, which would imply new car sales of around 142,000.”
Last year the Industry continued to generate strong returns for the Exchequer with a total VRT and VAT take of €1.5 billion (26.8% ahead of 2015) from new and used car sales alone.
Alan Greene SIMI President commented, “The Motor Industry continues to be a strong contributor to employment with 40,800 people employed throughout Ireland. Last year our Industry contributed €1.5 Billion to the Exchequer in car sales alone. 2017 was always going to be a more cautious year for businesses, right across the economy, but we have seen a steady start in January and hopefully we are on track for another good year and continuation of a stable market during the rest of the year”.
The top five selling car makes for January were Hyundai, Toyota, Ford, Volkswagen, and Nissan.
The top five selling models for January were the Hyundai Tucson followed by the Ford Focus, Ford Fiesta, Nissan Qashqai, and Volkswagen Golf.
Caroline Kidd
New Car Sales August 2016: What's Ireland Buying?
New data from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) shows that 7,313 new cars were registered in August 2016, and this figure is up 14% on August 2015 when 6,400 new cars were registered.
Meanwhile, total new car registrations for 2016 are still following the upward trend, up 19% (138,538) compared to the same period last year (116,195), and well on the way to breaking the 150,000 barrier predicted by year end.
Registrations of new Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) are up 11% (1,815) on the same month last year (1,642) and up 22% (24,545) year to date.
Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) registrations are also up 49% for the month of August 2016 (251) when compared to August last year (169), with registrations up 41% overall.
The data shows that Hyundai is still Ireland’s bestselling car brand, followed by Toyota and Volkswagen. The Hyundai Tucson was the top selling car in August but is also the bestselling car in Ireland to date in 2016, followed by the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus.
Commenting on the figures, Alan Nolan, SIMI Director General, said, "The Motor Industry has been working hard to deliver the continuing level of growth in what has been a noticeably more difficult market since June. As we move toward the end of the 3rd quarter of the year, the Industry remains focused on business still to be done, with strong offers still available for consumers. In contrast with the era before the two-period registration system was introduced, when sales were all but finished in the first quarter, the interest in new vehicle sales now tends to carry to the end of the third quarter, but obviously at a lower rate.
He also emphasises the importance of the Industry to the Exchequer and warns against any moves by the Government in the next Budget that could negatively impact the sector.
“We believe the Industry is still on course to deliver close to 150,000 new car sales by the end of the year, indeed new car sales have already generated €1.2 Billion for the Exchequer in VRT and VAT receipts. Our Industry currently employs over 42,000 people nationwide and it is crucial that the provisions in the forthcoming Budget for 2017 support rather than undermine the State’s tax revenues and employment across the sector. It is important that Budget 2017 contains measures that improve the position of both consumers and businesses. The potential for post-Brexit Sterling exchange rates to drain business away from the Irish domestic economy was highlighted by the increase of 76% in the number of imported used cars in July, so clearly the last thing we need at this stage is any further damaging tax increase in the forthcoming Budget. Suggestions of piece-meal increases on diesel fuel or indeed on motor tax being considered, at a time when soaring insurance costs are already impacting, would be damaging and extremely ill-conceived given that a new EU emissions regime is being rolled-out from next year which will require a major review of our current environmental taxation.
Our Industry, like the rest of the domestic economy, needs stability and as much certainty as is possible to support consumer and business confidence, especially given concerns regarding Brexit, in order to support a continuation of the recovery and progress of the past few years."
Caroline Kidd