New car sales dropped by 6.4% last year

New car sales were down 6.4% in 2013 compared with the previous year, although the sale of new commercial vehicles was up 3% over the same period, according to the website, MotorCheck.ie.

The industry had been expecting new car sales to reach 75,000 units last year, but the eventual figure was just under 1,000 units off this target.

Volkswagen was the top manufacturer, followed by Ford, Toyota, Hyundai, and Nissan respectively. Hyundai was the biggest winner with sales up 12.33%.