Official statistics just released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI ) show that total new car registrations for the month of May are up 4.7 per cent (6,341 ) when compared with May 2018 (6,055 ). New car registrations year to date are however still down by 7.6 per cent (at 79,343 ) on the same period last year (85,868 ).
New light commercial vehicle (LCV ) registrations are also up, 5.2 per cent (1,726 ) on May 2018 (1,641 ), with registrations year to date down by 8.4 per cent (14,617 ).
Meanwhile new heavy commercial vehicles (HGV ) increased 31.3 per cent (298 ) in comparison to May 2018 (227 ) and year to date are also up, 7.7 per cent (1,491 ).
Imported used cars for May increased by 4.1 per cent (9,346 ) on the same month last year (8,978 ) while year to date imports are three per cent (45,062 ) ahead of 2018 (43,739 ).
New electric vehicle registrations continue to grow month on month with a total of 1,902 EV cars registered so far this year, surpassing the total number of EVs registered in all of 2018, which was 1,233.
Commenting on the registrations figurers to us, Brian Cooke, SIMI director general said: “Registrations for the month of May, both cars and light commercial vehicles, showed an improvement on May of last year, although the increase in numerical terms was relatively small. However, sales overall year to date have been disappointing with both business and consumer Brexit related uncertainty contributing to dampened demand for new vehicles.”
He added: "As we move into June the industry is now focused on preparations for the start of the July 192 registration period. This will see a variety of strong offers to consumers across all brands, and in this environment, consumers will have a wide choice of cars to choose from at a really competitive price.”
