New car registrations exceed 146,000 in 2016

OFFICIAL statistics released today by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) show that new car registrations for the year 2016 (146,672) finished 17.5% ahead of 2015 (124,804).

It made last year the highest for new car registrations since 2008.

Last month alone, registrations were up 45% (499) compared with the same month in 2015 (344).

Light commercial vehicles (LCV) for 2016 recorded an increase of 18.3% (28,180) when compared to 2015 (23,829), despite the month of December registering a decrease of -23% (179) in comparison to December 2015 (235). Heavy goods vehicle (HGV) registrations in 2016 were up 31.3% (2,873) on the previous year (2,188).

In Mayo, 2,819 units were registered last year compared to 2,413 in 2015 - a 16.83% change. The county's share of the national market remained virtually unchanged (1.92% in 2016 versus 1.93% in 2015).

SIMI director general Alan Nolan said that despite some slowing in the second half of 2016, the number of registrations was in line with expectations at the start of the year and underline the continued growth and buoyancy in the economy.

He added: “Used car imports have also seen growth, partly due to the strong economic recovery but also driven by short supply of 2009-2013 Irish used cars and the strengthening of the euro against sterling following the Brexit referendum. Almost 50% of imported used cars were in this age profile, between three and five years old, and almost another 40% are over six years old.

“As we move into 2017 and the new 171 registration period, the industry is anticipating a continuation of the strong performance seen during 2016 and is projecting similar registration numbers to last year.”

Toyota was the top selling car make in Ireland in 2016, with the Hyundai Tucson the top selling model.