The number of new cars sold in August was down nearly 42 per cent on the same month last year, a body representing the motor industry said today.
The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) said there were 5,252 cars sold last month, down from 8,991 or 41.59 per cent on August 2007.
Car sales of 145,643 for the first eight months of this year were down 16.71 per cent on the same period last year.
Registrations for light commercial vehicles for the first eight months of 2008 are down 29.28 per cent, while heavy goods vehicle (HGV) registrations are down some 26.5 per cent for the year to date.
Director general of SIMI Alan Nolan 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 2008 will finish at around 150,000, which is down on recent years but in line with total sales for 2003 (145,331) and 2004 (154,141)."