Car sales up as new 162 motors unveiled

LOUTH car sales continued to rise during the first six months of the year, according to the latest figures from the Society for the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI)

Sales of the 161 plates appeared to be especially popular with an almost 23% increase on the first half of 2015.

The total number of cars sold in Louth up to the end of June this year was 2,278, up 22.82% from 1,871 last year.

The top five selling makes for the year 2016 so far have been: Volkswagen, Toyota, Hyundai, Ford and Nissan.

The top selling models were Hyundai Tucson, Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus, Skoda Octavia and the Nissan Qashqai

The most popular colours sold during the year were black and grey.

Commenting on the figurer, the SIMI Director General Alan Nolan said ‘At the start of the year we predicted that this year’s registration numbers should reach 150,000 nationally for the first time since 2008, and these figures keep us on track to deliver that.

The motor industry has always been a barometer for the economy in general, so the latest figures are seen as a positive sign.

From the beginning of July of course the focus turns to the 162 registration period.

The SIMI boss added: ‘ This year promises to be the first normal year of registrations since the recession, and with the range of attractive offers available across all brands we are confident that 162 will also deliver in the coming months.’