NEW CAR sales continued their downward spiral in August, with sales for the year to the end of last month down 16.7 per cent on the same period last year. August monthly sales figures were down by 41.6 per cent on last year to 5,252. Total sales for the first eight months were 145,643.
Alan Nolan, director general of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (Simi), said: “2008 is proving to be a challenging year for the motor industry. At this stage, it is anticipated that new car sales to the end of the year will finish at around 150,000.”
Toyota remains the top selling brand, with a 14.2 per cent market share and 20,669 new cars sold up to the end of August, followed by Ford with a 12.4 per cent share and 18,046 new car sales.
In the premium segment, BMW tops the sales league with 5,403 new cars sold, compared to 4,661 for Audi and 3,984 for Mercedes.
The fall in new car sales coincides with a similar reported drop in the sale of used cars. Several dealers claim they have had to make substantial cuts in used prices to attract buyers.
Sales of new light commercial vehicles were down 29.3 per cent on last year to 27,302, while the sale of new heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) were down 26.5 per cent to 3,237.
