Revised Number-Plate System Sparks Irish Sales Surge

Ireland’s adoption of a split-year number-plate system pays off, with more new cars sold on July 1 than the whole of June as buyers rushed to get vehicles with the new plates.

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry reports the first day of the so-called 132 registration plate saw 1,927 new cars sold, compared with 140 on July 2 last year, the first trading day of the month. The first day of the month in 2012 was a Sunday.

“Car sales (on July 1) exceeded sales on the first working day of January this year – traditionally the busiest day of the year for car sales when 1,487 new cars were sold,” SIMI says in a statement.

Irish number plates, which include the last two digits of the year the car is first sold, are now divided into two groups this year, with 131 for the first six months and 132 for the second half.

June sales plummeted 73.6% year-on-year to 1,673 units as buyers awaited the arrival of the new number plate.

Dealers report more cars were sold July 1 than during the first 18 days of July 2012.

The total new-vehicle market saw 2,065 units sold, including 138 light-commercial vehicles. Just 15 CVs were sold on July 2 last year.

SIMI Director General Alan Nolan says the result shows a positive start to the 132 year. “Clearly motorists can see the benefits of a 132 plate and are availing (themselves) of the offers out there, with many only available for the introductory period,” he says in a statement.

“Feedback from dealerships had indicated a lot of interest in the run-up to the new plate, but it’s always hard to gauge just how much until we see the actual registrations coming through. As it's the first year of the new dual registration, we hope that the momentum continues for the coming weeks and months.”