Number of new cars in Wicklow down 13 per cent

THE numbers of new cars registered in Wicklow between January and the end of August fell by more than 13 per cent, according to new figures released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI).

simi said 2,625 new cars were registered in the Garden County during the eight-month period, compared to 3,026 during the same period last year.

Nationally, new car registrations are down by 10 per cent, to 124,711.

SIMI Deputy Director General, Brian Cooke has called for no negative decisions, such as increases in fuel duty, in Budget 2018.

‘Our industry continues to experience a direct impact from Brexit in the market place. Used car imports for the month of August increased by 31 per cent (8,451) while in the year to date have increased by 40 per cent (62,161) and these numbers have a knock-on impact on used car values and new car sales volumes,’ he said.

From September 1, sellers of new cars in the EU will have to provide more accurate information for consumers on emissions and fuel consumption.

‘Ahead of Budget 2018 our message to the decision makers is simple with this declining market there should be no negative taxation decision in relation to VRT, road tax, or fuel,’ said Mr Cooke.

‘ The Industry is focused on offering alternative fuel solutions and the government can encourage customers to avail of these through a variety of incentives. Some car brands have already rolled out their own initiatives to encourage the removal of older vehicles with the purchase of new cleaner cars,’ he said.

The five top selling brands so far this year are: 1. Volkswagen,

2. Toyota, 3. Ford, 4. Hyundai,

5. Nissan ; the five top selling models are 1. Hyundai Tucson,

2. Nissan Qashqai, 3. Volkswagen Golf, 4. Skoda Octavia, 5. Ford Focus and the Top Selling Car for August was the Skoda Octavia.