Car sales down by 14 per cent in Mayo

Car sales down by 14 per cent in Mayo


Anton McNulty

THE sale of new cars in Mayo in 2012 has fallen sharply compared to the previous year but is in line with the national trend which has seen a 12 per cent slump in car sales.
The sale of new cars for the first seven months of the year are down 10,093 units to 71,065 compared to last year when 81,158 were sold in the country. In Mayo the decrease has risen further with sales for the first seven months of 2012 down 14 per cent for the year.
The figures were released by SIMI, the Society of the Irish Motor Industry who also revealed that despite the fall in car sales for the year as a whole, there was a nine per cent increase of sales in July compared to July in 2011.
There have been 1,389 new cars sold in Mayo in 2012 which makes up just 1.95 per cent of the car market in Ireland.
The first four months of the year are generally the most active in terms of car sales and Alan Nolan, Director General of SIMI says the increase shows that there is still value out there for consumers who are taking advantage of strong offers from the Industry.
“There is no doubt that the current level of sales is being driven by the Industry seeking to prolong the selling season and car buyers are continuing to benefit from this with great value out there at the moment. This modest increase in July, compared to post Scrappage trading in July last year, needs to be put in the context of a market at relatively low levels overall.
The hugely disruptive impact of seasonality, he claimed, is one of the most serious challenges facing the Motor Industry which is exacerbated in a period of economic downturn. Mr Nolan feels a change to the registration system to provide for two distinct registration periods per year - January to June and July to December - would address this problem and protect jobs and businesses by spreading sales more evenly through the year.
“It would also benefit car buyers who purchase later in the year by more clearly identifying these cars for valuation purposes,” he claimed.
The top selling make of car in 2012 is the Toyota with a 12.66 per cent share of the market just ahead of Volkswagen while the Ford Focus is the top car model.