Figures just released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI ) show that new car sales plummeted by 35 per cent in July, when compared to the same month last year.
A total of 4,067 new cars were sold during the month, a decrease of 2,231 on July last year.
SIMI says over 1,200 scrappage scheme cars were included in the figure for July 2010, whereas the scheme ended in June this year.
Despite the fall, the car market is up 10 per cent year to date, with commercial vehicles up 11 per cent.
Ford Focus is Ireland’s best-selling car
Ford is the top-selling vehicle brand so far this year, with a share of 12.6 per cent, buoyed by the Ford Focus, which was again the best-selling car in the country.
VW was the best-selling car brand in July and for the first seven months of the year. Some 4,076 cars were sold last month, compared to 6,307 in July 2010.
