New car registrations in March were down 64 per cent on the same month last year, according to figures released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI ). Just 7,811 new cars were registered in March, compared to 21,590 for the same month last year.
Ford was the country’s best-selling car brand in a devastating first quarter for car sales. Total sales in Ireland fell by 65 per cent to 32,589 in the year to March. Ford, with 4,824 sales, or 14.8% market share, was the most popular brand, ahead of Toyota (14.6 per cent ) and Volkswagen (10.6 per cent ). Sales for the month of March fell 64per cent on the same month last year.
Light commercial vehicle registrations for March were also down 74 per cent on the same period last year, and heavy goods vehicle registrations were down 79 per cent in the first quarter to 4,122 units. Again, Ford was the top-selling brand, with 18.9% market share.
