In January 2011 a total of 21,078 new cars were registered, an increase of almost a third over the same time a year ago The latest figures released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) show that Toyota topped these sales with registrations of 3,704 cars, followed by Ford with 2,514, Volkswagen with 2,291 and Renault with 1,669.
So what were the best selling make and models?
The SIMI figures show that the Toyota Avensis was the best selling model in Ireland last month with 1,189 new car registrations. In second place, 948 new Volkswagen Golfs were registered and in third place was Toyota Corolla with 891 registrations.
Nine out of ten cars sold in January fell into tax bands A and B, meaning they had emissions of less than 141g/km. These tax bands also qualify new car for scrappage scheme discounts. Diesel is now the preferred choice among buyers, with 70.4 per cent of total sales compared to 27.9 per cent for petrol models. A total of 107 hybrids were also purchased last month.
Alan Nolan, director general of SIMI, said: “There is a sense the industry is continuing on a road to recovery, but this is tempered with obvious reservations about the future. Scrappage continues to drive interest in market, but it’s too early to say what role it has played in the sales last month.”
One of the biggest issues facing would-be car buyers is securing finance. Many franchised dealers selling new cars have finance agreements in place to offer their customers, but some used car outlets are finding it more difficult to arrange. In a positive development, SIMI has joined together with Credit Unions to introduce a new online application process for car dealers, allowing their customers to apply directly for car finance online at dacu.ie (Direct Access Credit Union).
AXA and Opel Ireland have joined together to offer AXA Insurance customers €250 off their next renewal when a customer purchases a new Opel (passenger) car – to find out all the ins and outs of this offer please visit the AXA Plus website for further details.
Brought to you by AXA Car Insurance Ireland