Toyota has kicked off the first three months of 2016 as the market leader in new car sales.

Ireland’s favourite family car brand sold 9,204 new passenger vehicles in the first quarter of 2016, which represents a 29% increase over the same period in 2015. In addition Toyota had four of the top fifteen selling models in the county, the largest of any car brand, with the Auris, RAV4,Yaris and Corolla proving ever popular with Irish customers.

SIMI’s report on registration numbers for passenger vehicles sold during the first three months of 2016 shows Toyota as the most popular car brand in Ireland with 11.2% market share. The projection for new car sales in 2016 is approximately 160,000.

Commenting on the news, Steve Tormey, Chief Executive, Toyota Ireland, said: “We’re delighted with the strong start we’ve had in 2016 and feel very well placed to continue to capitalise on the growing new car market.  We are seeing strong demand across the full Toyota range, specifically on hybrid models and believe our success is due to factors such as value, high levels of specification, an outstanding Dealer Network and brand reputation. We believe the arrival of new models such as the Hilux, an expanded range of Proace commercial vehicles and our stunning new SUV, the C-HR, will continue to drive our success this year.”