New Car Sales Were up 20% in August While Sales are Down 8% For the Year
New car sales were up again in August. 3,698 cars were sold, compared to 3,092 last August, an increase of 20%.
Alan Nolan, SIMI Director General:
“With the momentum from July carrying over to August, and the introduction of the new number plate, we are pleased with the increase in sales in August. July and August accounted for 22% of new car sales so far this year, compared to just 10% for the same period last year, so the new plate is spreading sales, which was the main aim of its introduction.”
“Despite the increase in the last 2 months, the year as a whole is down nearly 8%. 68,544 new cars have been sold so far this year, compared to 74,234 last year. In this context, it is important that any Budgetary measures assist retail business including the Motor Industry.”
“With the Budget only 7 weeks away, we’ll be asking the Minister to construct a Budget that encourages consumer spending and we will be putting forward proposals on incentives that will help increase new car sales and their associated tax revenues.”
- View the latest stats here
- Volkswagen was the best selling car make in August and the BMW 5 Series was the best selling model in August
- Followed by Toyota and Ford
- So far this year, Volkswagen are the top selling make and the Volkswagen Golf is the best selling model
- Followed by the Nissan Qashqai and the Ford Focus
- 818 new vans were sold in August, an increase of 15% on last August (709)
- For the year, van sales are down 2%, from 9,248 new vans last year to 9,048 so far this year
- Ford is the best selling van make so far this year and the Ford Transit is the best selling model
- There were 197 trucks sold in August, an increase of 76% on last August (112)
- So far this year, 1,210 new trucks have been sold, an increase of 11% on last year (1,094)
- Volvo is the best selling truck brand so far this year