New Year boost sees car sales back in top gear

The car sales sector is continuing on its path to recovery, with new figures showing business is up by almost one-third already this year.

The figures – compiled for the Connacht Tribune by car history site motorcheck.ie – show there were 1,225 new passenger vehicles registered in Galway in January – that’s up 29% on the 950 in January 2014.

The import of used cars was down 10% from 330 to 296 for the same comparative period, while commercial vehicles and Heavy Goods Vehicles are up nearly 40% from 166 to 230.

Alan Nolan, Director General of the Society of the Irish Motor industry (SIMI) said the increase in sales is positive for the industry.

“The car sales figures for January are a huge boost to the motor industry in Galway. Last year saw a recovery for the car market and to see this continue into 2015 is great news for the area.

“It will mean more money into the local economy and the creation of more jobs within the sector. The recession was particularly challenging for the motor industry and while it will take time to rebuild, the increases in sales will continue to aid recovery,” said Mr Nolan.

Last year, there were 3,778 new passenger vehicles sold across Galway, up almost 28% on 2013. Economist Jim Power said: “After a number of very difficult years for the motor trade, the strong growth in car sales reflects improving consumer confidence and spending across the country.

“While we have not reached the highs of 2008, consumers are showing more confidence in the market and the indications are that we will continue to inch upwards this year provided economic and political conditions remain stable,” he said.

The most popular ‘151 G’ cars on the roads at the moment are the VW Golf (76) and Toyota Corolla (75), followed by the Nissan Qashqai (56), Skoda Octavvia (51) and Toyota Auris (37).