New car sales were up 15% in January when compared to the same time last year, new figures show.
A total of 31,470 new cars were sold during the month, the data from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) reveals.
Despite that growth, registrations are still 3% lower than pre-Covid levels in 2019.
Electric vehicle (EV) sales continued to grow, with a record 4,109 new EVs registered during the month, up 12% on the same time last year.
“While EV sales can be viewed positively, the growth is slightly less than the overall increase in the new car market,” said Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General.
“This highlights the ongoing challenge as we move away from the early adapter stage into a more mainstream market.
“As we move forward, ongoing Government support in terms of incentives and charging infrastructure will play a vital role in ensuring the success of the next phase in the transition to electrification,” he added.
Mr Cooke said the industry continues to supply a greater range of EVs with over 70 different models now available for sale in Ireland.
The SIMI data shows that petrol cars continue to dominate the new car market at just under 32%.
For the first time hybrid petrol cars have overtaken diesel cars, with a share of just under 24% versus just under 22% for diesel. Electric cars account for 13% of the new car market, followed by plug in electric hybrid at just under 7%.
The top ten selling new car brands in January were Toyota, Hyundai, Volkswagen, Skoda, Kia, Nissan, Peugeot, Audi, Ford and Dacia.
The Hyundai Tucson was the top selling new car model, followed by the Toyota Yaris Cross, the Toyota RAV4, the Kia Sportage, the Toyota Corolla, the Hyundai Kona, the Toyota C-HR, the Skoda Octavia, the Nissan Juke and the Volkswagen Golf.
Volkswagen was the top selling EV brand, followed by Hyundai, BYD, Kia, MG, Nissan, BMW, Skoda, Mercedes Benz and Volvo.
The Hyundai Kona was the top selling EV model, followed by the Volkswagen ID.4, the BYD Seal, the MG MG4, the Volkswagen ID.3, the Skoda Enyaq, the Hyundai IONIQ 5, the Nissan Leaf, the Kia EV6 and the BYD ATTO 3.
Article Source – New car sales up 15% in January, EV sales hit new high – RTE