The Society of the Irish Motor Industry has released its official new vehicle statistics, which shows a year to date decline across the board, as expected due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The official figures show new car registrations for the month of June declined 28.2 per cent (1,011 ) when compared to June 2019 (1,408 ). New car registrations for the year to date are down 34.5 per cent (52,891 ) on the same period last year (80,758 ).
Toyota is top selling brand ahead of Volkswagen, with the Toyota Corolla being the top selling model in the first half of the year.
Light commercials vehicles are down 24.1 per cent (568 ) compared to June last year (748 ), and for the year to date are down 30.9 per cent (10,579 ). For the first half of the year, the best selling LCV brand remains Ford, with the Peugeot Partner being the top selling van so far in 2020.
HGV registrations are also down 67.9 per cent (101 ) in comparison to June 2019 (315 ). And again for the year to date, HGVs are down 32 per cent (1,224 ).
Used car imports for June (4,264 ) have seen a decrease of 47.1 per cent on June 2019 (8,060 ), while for the year to date, imports are down 57.1 per cent (22,789 ) on 2019 (53,126 ).
SIMI director Brian Cooke says while this year has been so far difficult for the industry, the new 202 period, which commenced recently “brings some hope for the industry by providing an opportunity to increase sales”.
“Clearly 2020 has been a very difficult year to date, with new car registrations down 34.5 per cent year on year. The new 202-registration period brings some hope for the industry by providing an opportunity to increase sales.
“Consumers can see already the hugely varied and attractive new car offers. While pre-orders and enquiries are showing some positive signs, the lack of car hire and the ongoing concerns surrounding Covid-19 will see continuing downward pressure on new car demand.”
