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Volkswagen shrugged off its diesel scandal and re-took the number one selling brand spot in Ireland, snatching it back from Hyundai, which still has the best-selling model in the country - the Tuscon.
As May's sales figures chattered in off the ticker-tape (sales figures still do that, right?), we've almost hit the magical 100,000 mark for the year so far. Although May's numbers were considerably down on last year's figures (6,532 compared to 6,919 last year - a drop of six per cent), the overall figures for the year to date are still up by 23 per cent, with total new registrations, according to the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) of 99,740.
Light commercial sales, vans to you and me, were also up, to 17,561 overall this year, while HGV sales are up 53 per cent for the year to date.
Commenting on the figurers SIMI Director General Alan Nolan said: "After three years of sustained growth year on year the Industry took a pause for breath in May this year. The new shape of seasonality in the Industry is settling-in with the sector now beginning to turn its focus on the 162 period for new car sales. Since the introduction of the dual registration plate system, the percentage of new car registrations occurring in the second half of the year has been increasing year on year from 14 per cent in 2011 to 34 per cent last year. This new shape to the year does give dealers a better opportunity to focus on used car sales at this stage in the year to help clear the decks in anticipation of the next key sales period for new cars. The overall registration numbers are very strong and set the Industry on course for the best registration numbers in over seven years. While many manufacturers have started their 162 campaign offerings early, the Industry is still open for business on new as well as used cars in the remaining weeks of the 161 period so consumers can take advantage of attractive deals still to be had in June, so as always our advice is to get out there and shop around!, particularly with the Drogheda and Wexford Motor Shows taking place next weekend."
Volkswagen topped the sales charts in May, followed by Toyota, Hyundai, Ford and Nissan. The best-selling vehicles were the Hyundai Tuscon, the Volkswagen Golf, the Ford Focus, the Skoda Octavia and the Nissan Qashqai. The Golf took the top sales spot for May.