New car sales down 6% in 2013

New car sales were down by over 6% year-on-year.

According to MotorCheck.ie, the industry had predicted total sales of 75,000, but the final figures are about 1,000 shy of that figure. Commercial sales, however, increased by about 3%.

Volkswagen was the top new car brand, with the Golf the market leader with sales for the model up 5% on 2012, with Ford in second place.

The used car market, however, is still performing. When all new and used vehicles registered last year are accounted for, registrations were actually up 4.8% from 2012.

2013 also saw a 25% increase on the number of used vehicles imported into the country. Motorcheck said this can be attributed to a shortage of used cars for sale in Ireland.