Official figures released by SIMI this week show that 70,103 new cars have been sold so far this year, which is an unexpected boost for the industry given that earlier SIMI predictions were that 70,000 new cars would be sold for the entire year.
Commenting on the milestone, SIMI’s press officer, Suzanne Sheridan, said: “With such an abysmal year last year, we knew that even an increase of around 20 per cent on last year, or 70,000 new car sales, would help the industry get back on its feet. We had hoped that scrappage would boost new car sales but the result has exceeded our expectations. Scrappage doesn’t just mean additional revenue for the Exchequer, there is a direct relationship between new car sales and employment. With this upturn in business, garages can start to re-employ staff they had to let go last year. We’re not out of the woods yet but there is certainly an increase in consumer confidence in our industry and the wider economy.”
