Brexitandvirus createatorrid yearformotors

THE motor industry in Kerry suffered a massive drop in sales last year as a result of the Covid crisis.

End of year figures published by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry SIMI show that new car registrations in the county fell by more than 16 per cent compared with 2019.

According to the SIMI figures which were published last week 1934 new cars were sold in Kerry in 2020 compared with 2310 the previous year.

That represents a total decline of 16.28 per cent year on year.

While the fall in sales in Kerry was dramatic the county fared better than the country overall with car sales nationally down by 25 per cent.

Given the impact of Covid-19 on business in general it is perhaps no surprise that commercial vehicle sales also experienced a sharp drop last year.

New Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) registrations saw a decrease of 14.2 per cent compared to 2019 while New Heavy Commercial Vehicle registrations were down 22.3 per cent.

SIMI Director Genertal Brian Cooke said 2020 proved to be a very difficult year for the Irish Motor Industry.

“New car sales, already hampered in recent years due to Brexit, were down a further 25 per cent due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and are now at recession levels. Looking to January, the key month for new car sales, the dramatic deterioration in the public health situation over the last few weeks and the implementation of Level 5 restrictions will make it another difficult period for the sector,” he said.

“Dealerships remain open for service, repair and testing, which are essential services, and the Industry will continue to play an important role in assisting emergency and essential services and retailers are increasing investment in their digital platforms to facilitate customers. In the current challenged business environment, it is vital that the current restrictions succeed in driving down the incidence of COVID so business and society can return to some level of normality.”