Official statistics released at the end of June by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) show that new car registrations were down 14% (1,449) last month when compared to June 2014 (1,684).

However, new car registrations for the first six months of the year are currently up 25% (82,337) on the same period last year.

Light Commercials Vehicles (LCV), were up by 52% (801) on June 2014 (528) and are up 56% (14,600) for the first half of the year compared to 2014. HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) registrations, which had been lagging behind last year to the end of May, are up 89% for the month of June (157) compared with June 2014 (83), and are now up 4% year to date.

Commenting on the figures Brian Cooke Deputy Director General SIMI said: "The first half of 2015 so far has been a positive news story for the Industry and we expect that this will continue for the remainder of the year. Car registrations have shown strong growth, and while car sales for the month of June are down on last year, this is not surprising considering that many customers are waiting for the arrival of the new 152 plate which commences today.

Car Manufacturers and dealers have in recent weeks been busy promoting their 152 incentives, which offer great value across all brands, in preparation for increased activity which is expected with the arrival of the new plate. Industry projections indicate that new car sales are set to soar to 120,000 by the end of the year, and it is expected growth will continue into next year also.

The increase in both business and consumer confidence is evident within the commercial vehicle sector,  with Light Commercial Vehicle registrations showing  an increase so far this year of over 50%, and we can expect to see sales exceed 20,000 for the first time since 2008. HGV registrations have seen improvement for the month of June which will hopefully continue as the year progresses".

Stats in short:
*             New car sales up 25% 2015 total 82,337 V 2014 total 65,677
*             1,449 cars were sold June 2015 v 1,684 in June 2014
*             5 Top Selling Makes Year to date: Volkswagen, Toyota, Ford, Hyundai, Nissan
*             5 Top Selling Models Year to date: Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus, Nissan Qashqai, Skoda Octavia, Toyota Corolla
*             Top selling Car for month of June Toyota Avensis
*             Light Commercials: Total LCV Sales 2015 14,660 v 2014 9,414
*             Total LCV Sales 801 June 2015  v 528  June 2014
*             Top Selling Makes Year to date: Ford, Volkswagen, Renault
*             HGV: Total Sales 2015 1265 v 2014 1219
*             HGV Sales 157 June 2015 v 83 June 2014