The Irish market for new cars has bounced back strongly in July, with 26,483 new cars registered. That's 25 per cent more than the 21,171 registered in July 2020, and 7.3 per cent more than the 24,681 registered in July 2019, pre-Covid.
Car sales push through the 90,000 barrier
That brings the total new car registrations for the year to 90,342 - well ahead of the 2020 figures, but still down by 14.3 per cent on 2019. That though is still an improvement, as earlier this year the numbers were down by around 20 per cent on 2019 sales.
The Irish car industry is giving the July figures a cautious welcome. Brian Cooke, director general of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry said: "In what has been a very difficult and uncertain trading environment over the last eighteen months, new car sales in July have brought a much needed boost to both the Industry and to local economies. Pent-up demand and record savings have led to strong appetite for all vehicles, new and used, cars and commercials. While new car sales continue to be well behind pre-Covid levels, hopefully this growth in activity in July is the first step in a return to more sustainable business levels. It is particularly encouraging to see an increase in the sale of new electric vehicles, a vital component in driving down emissions from transport. The level of zero and low emitting vehicles will continue to grow and it is vital that both the Industry and the State continue to invest to deliver the widest possible choice to motorists and commuters. The move to zero emissions is a huge challenge across society. In this context, taxation policy and incentives can drive this change positively, but it must support motorists to make the right decisions based on their own individual needs, which will include choosing electric, hybrid and lower emitting traditional fuel type vehicles."
Electric sales still rising
There are a few imponderables in the numbers, though. While Cooke is right to point out that there is still a level of pent-up demand in the system, combined with many people having put money aside during the pandemic, we don't know how many of these registrations were made by car-hire companies, whose business is starting to pick up again as international travel starts to - slowly - get back on it feet.
Of the 26,483 new cars registered in July, some 1,902 were electric models - an increase compared to the 773 new electric cars sold in July 2020. In total, 6,233 electric cars have been registered so far this year, compared to 2,660 in the same period last year. Combine electric car sales with plug-in hybrids and hybrids, and the total share of the market for electrified vehicles now stands at 30 per cent. Diesel is still the primary fuel of choice, though, with 34 per cent of buyers going for a DERV model, with petrol on 32 per cent, hybrids on 16 per cent, electric on 6.9 per cent and plug-in hybrids on 6.8 per cent.
Toyota in first place
Light commercial sales (vans) were also up in July - 4,794 this year compared to 4,443 last year and 4,697 in July 2019. So far this year, 21,814 new vans have been registered - an increase on both 2020 and 2019 figures, which augurs well for the underlying economy.
Toyota maintains its first place position at the top of the brand sales charts, followed by Volkswagen, Hyundai, Skoda, and Ford. So far for the year, the Hyundai Tucson is still the best-selling model, followed by the Toyota Corolla, Toyota Yaris, Toyota RAV4, and Volkswagen Tiguan. The best-selling model for July was the Hyundai Tucson.