Numberofnew carssoldis downby5%

811 new cars sold in Louth in January

THE number of new cars sold in Louth in January fell by almost 5% on the same month last year, according to new figures from the Society for the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI).

There were 811 new cars sold across Louth last month, down 4.9% on the 853 sold in the same month of 2019.

The figures are significant as January has been a ‘ boost’ month for in the motor industry, with buyers waiting to secure the very latest registration plate.

But the first month of the new decade were certainly disappointing for Louth motor dealers, as it resulted in the lowest opening sales for a number of years.

Nissan was the biggest seller in Louth, followed by Toyota , Renault, Hyundai, Volkswagen Ford, Skoda, Kia, Peugeot, and Dacia.

The top selling model across Louth the Nissan Qashqai,, with the Renault Clio, Hyundai Tucson, Toyota Corolla.

In other changes, petrol cars were a more popular choice for owners than diesel, bucking the trend nationally. But the number of hybrid and electric vehicles also increased.

Commenting on the new vehicle registrations figures Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General said: “January is the most important selling month for new cars. In this regard, it is very disappointing to see a reduction in new car sales compared to January last year, the fourth consecutive year in which there has been a fall.’

On a more positive note, there has been a reduction of nearly 6% in the average CO2 emissions from new cars registered in January, underlining the Industry’s commitment to reducing emissions from new cars. The Industry is fully committed to further significant reductions in emissions in the years ahead. New cars ultimately displace the oldest most environmentally damaging cars in the National Fleet and in order for Ireland to benefit fully from these technology improvements the new car market needs to be much stronger than it currently is and Government policy should support this. January also saw a significant decline in used imports, and while it may be too early to tell, the introduction of the NOx charge on January 1st appears to have reduced demand for older used imports.