Brexit hitting new car sales

New figures show a 3.2% fall in new car sales in January compared with the same month last year, with industry chiefs claiming Brexit and economic uncertainty was a factor.

Figures from the Central Statistics Office showed, in addition to the 3.2% decrease in new car sales, there was an 18% rise in the number of used, or imported, private cars licensed here last month. Most came from the UK but the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) said many vehicles were also brought into the country by dealers.

More than half of the cars imported in January were between three and five years old, and almost a third were six to nine years old, while 13.6% of imported private cars licensed were less than three years old.