January has flown by and the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) has issued the official 181 new vehicle registration figures.

Car sales figures for the month of January show that 181 registrations are down -4.8% (37,125) compared to January 2017 (39,003). Light Commercials are currently up 6.3% (6,728) compared to January last year (6,329), while HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) registrations are down-11.84% (402) in comparison to January 2017 (456).

Alan Nolan Director General SIMI commented: "2017 finished down 10.4% as anticipated and also recorded a shift in the market-share of Diesel cars from 70% to 65%. The same trends have been apparent in January’s new car sales, which have delivered a steady start to the 181 registration period but Brexit has continued to impact with new car sales down 4.8% while used car import registrations are up 20% compared to January last year.

"Diesel continues to be the choice of engine for over half of Irish new car buyers however the noticeable trend towards petrol and hybrid vehicles which started last year has continued in 2018. We expect this pattern of sales mix to continue for the rest of the year. While the number of Electric cars registered in January (104) shows a decline on January 2017 (168), this is a timing issue with supply and later new model delivery dates. The Sector remains confident that EV registrations will increase significantly in 2018”

Other statistics from the figures in January show that used car imports total 9,061 v (2017) 7,532 which is +20.3% while new Electric Car (EV) sales (2018) 104 v (2017) 168 a drop of 38.1%.

Top Selling Car Brands
1. Toyota
2. Hyundai
3. Ford
4. Volkswagen
5. Nissan

Top car models
1. Hyundai Tucson
2. Nissan Qashqai
3. Ford Focus
4. Volkswagen Golf
5. Ford Fiesta

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