Registrations of new cars in Ireland have, unsurprisingly, fallen dramatically in March. With everyone on lockdown in the fight against COVID-19, registrations of new cars fell by 63 per cent compared to March 2019, which has pulled the year-to-date figures down by a whopping 20 per cent overall.
'Health of our nation is the overriding priority'
Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General commenting on the market figures said: "The health of our nation is the overriding priority. The Motor Industry will assist the State in any way we can during this pandemic. While showrooms, service and other activities within the Industry are closed, members are available to assist in emergency call-out or delivery services. This will be vital in keeping essential and emergency services moving.
"The Motor Industry and its employees, like so many Industries, is feeling the devastating impact of COVID-19. Even before the crisis commenced, the new car market was in decline, and this fall has accelerated rapidly in the last fortnight with new car activity down nearly two-thirds on last year. Whatever the duration of this crisis, once we emerge, we will need to see decisive and ambitious action from Government to protect the nearly 50,000 jobs in our sector."
63 per cent tumble in March sales
New car registrations in March fell dramatically, from 16,687 this time last year, to just 6,174 this year. The overall figure for the year-to-date is down to 51,015 compared to 64,126 for the same period in 2019. Light commercial vehicles (vans, basically) were down by 52 per cent to 1,434 registrations in March, and down by 15 per cent, to 9,378 registrations, for the year to date. Registrations of heavy trucks was the only bright spot - up by 17 per cent in March, and by 12 per cent for the year to date.
Electric car registrations also managed a small rise in March - up by 21 per cent to 379 sales. Electrics also managed to post a year to date rise of 16 per cent, reaching 1,677 registrations by the end of March.
Used imports collapse too
Used imports have also collapsed - people not being able to travel clearly trumps the massive decrease in the value of Sterling versus the Euro. 4,656 used cars were imported in March, a 48 per cent decrease on the same month last year. Year-to-date imports are down 34.9 per cent (17,471) on 2019 (26,832).
For what it's worth, the best-selling brands for the year so far are Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Skoda, and Ford. The best-selling models are the Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Tucson, Volkswagen Tiguan, Ford Focus, and Skoda Octavia. The Toyota Corolla was the best-selling car in March.
Diesel remains the most popular fuel choice - 48 per cent of new cars registered came with a diesel engine, compared to 38 per cent with petrol power, 12 per cent hybrid, two per cent plug-in hybrid, and three per cent electric.