NI car sales continue to fall slower than UK rate

NEW car sales in Northern Ireland have slumped once again — but at a much slower rate than in the UK as a whole.

There was a 5% fall in car sales in September, based on the same period a year earlier, according to fresh figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

However, it’s almost half the 9.3% fall experienced across the UK as a whole.

A total of 6,326 new cars were sold in Northern Ireland during September.

Elsewhere, in England, sales fell by 9.1%. But Wales suffered the biggest drop, falling by 17.5%.

Topping the list in terms of car sales in Northern Ireland was the Ford Fiesta, with 244 vehicles sold in the last month.

That was followed by the Volkswagen Gold and Hyundai Tucson.

Overall, the new car market has declined for a sixth consecutive month, industry figures show.

Just over 426,000 new cars were registered in September, down 9.3% on the same month last year, according to the SMMT.

The organisation blamed a fall in consumer confidence caused by economic and political uncertainty, and confusion over air quality plans. SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “September is always a barometer of the health of the UK new car market so this decline will cause considerable concern.”