New car registrations down 22% in November

The latest statistics from the Motorcheck.ie New Car Index show that sales for new cars in November are down 22% on the same month last year.

The total number of new cars registered in 2013 is 73,829, 6% down for the same period in 2012.

However, registrations of new commercial vehicles are marginally ahead (+4.7%) on the same period last year, while used car imports have grown by a hefty 28% year-on-year as the dealers in Ireland continue to look to the UK for stock.

The low sales of new cars experienced since 2009 has meant a lack of used stock in a very active market, with more than 750,000 used car sales happening this year.

Michael Rochford, Managing Director of Motorcheck.ie, said: "2013 is performing as expected with all eyes now on the order books for 2014. Feedback from the dealer network is that showroom traffic is up on last year with order books looking like outperforming 2013."

Volkswagen is set to remain as the most popular manufacturer to the end of 2013 with second and third place hotly contested, to date, by Toyota and Ford respectively.

Hyundai have made the most gains in 2013 and are currently in fourth place in terms of total new car sales.

The Volkswagen Golf is Ireland’s favourite new car in 2013 followed by the Nissan Qashqai, Ford Focus and Ford Fiesta respectively.