Irish Light-Vehicle Sales Post Solid First-Half Gains

Irish first-half new-car sales jumped 23.5% from a low base a year ago to reach 65,705 units, while light-commercial vehicle deliveries soared 35.6% to 9,380.

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry, which expected June sales to be slow in advance of a registration plate update July 1, says car deliveries for the month rose 1% to 1,689 units.

The organization’s prediction that the industry would see its best July since 2008 was borne out Tuesday, when 4,264 new cars were registered on the first day of the new “142” registration plate. The total was more than double the 1,924 cars registered July 1, 2013.

SIMI previously said it hoped more than 4,000 cars would be registered in the first week of the new ‟142” year.

Last year, the first year of the dual-registration-plate system, almost 12,000 cars sold in July – 18% of the prior-year industrywide total.

‟We knew yesterday was going to be one of the busiest days of the year for car sales, with additional cars being added to the car-hire fleets,” SIMI Director General Alan Nolan says, “but we didn't expect such a good start compared to last year, which was the first year for the new split-registration plate.

“In fact, yesterday has turned out to be the highest day for new car registrations this year and nobody expected that.

‟Although it has to be put in the context that we are starting from a low base, it is clear that an increasing number of consumers are returning to the market,” Nolan says. “Dealers are currently competing for customers with strong new-car offers and a wider range of finance options and it’s evident that consumers are seeing the benefit of the new midyear registration period.”

In addition, 292 new vans were sold Tuesday, more than double the 138 on the same day last year.

Volkswagen led the first-half 2014 result, rising 18.9% to 7,999 units, ahead of Toyota, up 25.3% to 7,209. Ford was third after climbing 28.6% to 6,505.

The VW Golf was the most popular model among new-car buyers, with deliveries through June rising 23.7% to 3,200 units. Nissan’s Qashqai followed, up 13% to 2,716 units, ahead of Ford’s Focus that jumped 32.9% to 2,579.

Ford maintained its longtime lead in the LCV segment with first-half deliveries rising 40.8% to 2,221 units. VW climbed 12.95% to 1,491 units, ahead of Renault, up 38.3% to 874.

Ford’s Transit Van was the comfortable market leader with deliveries climbing 33.8% to 1,160 units, ahead of VW’s Caddy, up 17.7% to 926.