28% hike in vehicles sold this year

Almost 30% more vehicles were sold this year compared to 2013, as the previously struggling car market shows signs of recovery.

According to vehicle history experts Cartell.ie, a total of 118,696 vehicles have been sold so far this year — a 28% increase on last year.

This number includes all new vehicles registered in 2014 and includes private, hackney taxis as well as light and heavy commercial vehicles, and all other classes of vehicle.

The equivalent number for last year was 92,724, while the number of new vehicles registered in 2012 was 95,180.

Cartell director Jeff Aherne said the figures were an indication that the market for both used and new cars is continuing to improve and that the outlook for the next 12 months is very positive.

“Last year, Cartell informed the market there was a potential windfall of 42,000 additional new vehicle sales in store for 2014 if market conditions were right,” Mr Aherne said.

“What we saw in 2014 was a pick-up in demand as more people bought new vehicles and the used vehicle market returned to a more normalised sales cycle. We expect to see more growth in 2015.”

As of the end of November, the top five selling makes of cars in Ireland were Volkswagen, Toyota, Ford, Hyundai, and Nissan.

The top five selling models of car were the Volkswagen Golf, Nissan Qashqai, Ford Focus, Ford Fiesta, and Toyota Corolla.

Meanwhile, at the more affluent end of the car market, things have not returned to the Celtic Tiger era.

According to statistics provided by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, there was just one Aston Martin and one Bentley sold in the country up to the end of November.

Similarly, three Teslas and six Maseratis were sold.

However, more Porsches (48) than Alfa Romeos (36) have been sold and more people bought Jaguars (189) than bought Subarus (157) and Ssangyong (129).

Speaking earlier this month, the director general of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, Alan Nolan, said the outlook for the next year was one of “emerging recovery” as the trade continues to bounce back from a number of lean years.

“The industry continues to be optimistic for the coming year, as our members report strong consumer interest in 151 orders; this was highlighted in particular at a number of local motor events recently held around the country,” Mr Nolan said.

“We are confident that this consumer sentiment, will be reflected in registrations for 2015, particularly in light of the strong offers from all manufacturers available to New Year purchases,” he added.