New car sales up 15% in Galway during 2016

Sales of new cars in Galway have risen by almost 15% so far this year, new figures show.

And the Hyundai Tucson SUV has been the top-seller of 2016, with more than 300 of them registered on 161G and 162G plates.

Sales of new cars in Galway are now at parity with figures from 2008.

Statistics compiled for the Connacht Tribune by car history checking website Motorcheck.ie show that sales for new passenger vehicles (cars, jeeps, people carriers and caravans) in Galway City and County from January to the end of November 2016 are up 14.8% on the same period last year (from 5,058 to 5,806).

Commercials and HGVs registrations are also up on 2015 – from 1,305 for the eleven-month period last year to 1,455 (11.5%), while motorcycles have remained relatively static (22 last year, to 24 this year).

Alan Nolan, Director General of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) said: “Car sales in Galway so far this year are particularly encouraging and this has been seen across the country. 2016 has seen the highest levels in new vehicle registrations since 2008, while some of these sales can be attributed to a catch up in the market overall it has been a good year for our industry.

“With the peak selling months behind us, the industry has now turned its focus to the 171 registration period as can be seen and heard in current advertising campaigns,” said Mr Nolan.

The Top 10 most popular new cars in Galway during the past year were the Hyundai Tucson (308 units sold); Toyota Corolla (253 sold); Skoda Octavia (213); Nissan Qashqai (207); VW Golf (194); Ford Focus (183); Toyota Yaris (176); Toyota Rav-4 (163); Toyota Auris (149) and VW Passat (140).

The majority (4,236) were diesel engine, followed by petrol (1,380), hybrid (159) and electric (16).

Grey, black, silver, white and red were the most popular colours, with MPVs being the most popular body type, followed by saloons and hatchbacks. Meanwhile, for the used car import sector, 3,900 were registered in Galway in the first eleven months of this year – a significant 35% increase on the 2,892 for the same period in 2015.