Car registrations up in November but down overall for the year
New car registrations for November increased 20.11% (914) when compared to November 2019 (761) but year to date are down 25.0% (87,728) on the same period last year (116,885), according to official statistics released today by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI).
Light commercials vehicles (LCV) are down 3.2% (830) compared to November last year (857) and year to date are down 14.8% (21,431), while heavy goods vehicle (HGV) registrations are down 30.5% (82) in comparison to November 2019 (118) and year to date are down 21.9% (2,038).
Used car imports for November (8,647) have seen a decrease of 13.6% on November 2019 (10,008), while year to date imports are down 35.4% (67,151) on 2019 (103,900).
In Mayo, new car registrations, at 1,633, are down 15.61% so far this year.
SIMI director general Brian Cooke commented: “While the registration numbers year to date highlight the extremely difficult trading conditions, down 25% on last year and 40% since 2016, today Ireland moves out of Level 5 restrictions, which sees motor retailers re-open their vehicle sales functions.
“SIMI members operate with large well-ventilated showrooms and this, along with the ability to display vehicles in an outdoor setting, allows for business to be done in a very low risk environment for the transmission of Covid-19, making them safe for both customers and staff.
“With the key new year selling period only weeks away, this re-opening comes at an opportune time.
“The use of digital platforms during the lockdown has provided an important shop window for customers looking to buy a new or used car and with vehicle manufacturers and retailers offering generous incentives to buy a new 211 car, the industry is hopeful that activity will be brisk in the coming weeks and months ahead.”
The top five selling car brands this year are Volkswagen, Toyota, Hyundai, Skoda and Ford. The top five car models are Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Tucson, Volkswagen Tiguan, Ford Focus and Hyundai Kona. The Tucson was the best selling car in the country last month.
Diesel remains the most popular engine type at 43.22%, followed by petrol (36.98%), hybrid (11.91%), electric (4.48%) and plug-in hybrid (2.79%).