New car registrations for July were down 17.3 per cent compared to July 2021, according to SIMI figures.
There were 21,902 new cars registrations last month, 11 per cent below pre-Covid levels in 2019. Registrations for the year to date are down 3.6 per cent (87,075 ) on the same period last year.
Electric Vehicles sales were up in July, with 2,738 new electric vehicles registered compared to 1,895 in July 2021.
So far this year 11,182 new electric cars have been registered compared with 6,225 for the same period in 2021, representing an increase of 79.6 per cent.
Electric vehicle, plug-in hybrids and hybrids continue to increase their market share, with a combined market share now of 40.9 per cent. Petrol continues to remain dominant with 29.29 per cent, while diesel accounts for 27.51 per cent.
The top five best selling EVs year to date are the VW ID.4, the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia’s EV6, the VW ID.3, and Nissan’s Leaf. The Hyundai Tucson was the overall top selling model for the month of July.
Used car imports for July (4,206 ) have decreased by 21.3 per cent on July of last year (5,344 ). Year to date imports are down 31.1 per cent (28,316 ) on 2021 (41,097 ).
Meanwhile, LCV sales last month were down 14.8 per cent (4,039 ) compared to July last year (4,740 ), and year to date are down 21.4 per cent (17,100 ). HGV registrations dropped 1.6 per cent (317 ) in comparison to July 2021 (322 ). Year to date HGV sales are down 9.4 per cent (1,675 ).
SIMI director general Brian Cooke says the underlying new car market needs to grow significantly over the next few years if Ireland is to optimise transport emission reductions.
"Government policies must contain the right measures, to support and encourage the change to lower and zero emitting vehicles," he says.
“Reducing EV supports or increasing taxation will only act as a barrier to change and add to the cost of living. In this context, SIMI is asking the Government to continue its support for the EV project by extending EV supports at current levels out to 2025 and to resist any VRT increases in Budget 2023, which will only prove counterproductive and prevent us dealing with the legacy fleet in an effective manner that supports a just transition."
