Cork, 1 August 2008 - Figures released from the S.I.M.I. (Society of the Irish Motor Industry) show that total car sales for the month were 16,464 - that is a 26 percent increase on the July 2007 figure.  Ford secured the number one position in the period with a sales total of 2,034 vehicles. 

 

Sales during the month were affected by the new C02-based car tax regime which came into force on July 1.  A considerable number of car buyers delayed buying until the new tax regime came into effect and this is reflected in the 26 percent growth over July 2007 sales.

 

As expected, there was a significant increase in the number of diesel cars sold.  This was particularly marked in the case of Ireland’s top selling car, the Ford Focus.  Prior to July, diesel sales would account for just 10 percent of Focus models in any given month.  Under the new tax regime which favours the more environmentally-friendly diesels, the July sales of Focus were 85 percent diesel.  The shift to diesel saw Ford emerge as the best-selling car brand with 12.3 percent of the market, ahead of Toyota (10.8 percent) and BMW (9.9 percent).

 

Commenting on the July car sales, Eddie Murphy, Chairman and Managing Director of Ford Ireland, said: "For the overall market, the initial fillip in the first 10 days or so has been short-lived, with a fairly rapid tapering off of showroom traffic in the second half of the month. This has occurred in tandem with a general worsening of consumer sentiment. We anticipated a boost for the Ford brand due to its strong diesel line-up, and this has been realised, with Ford volumes up 9 percent.”

 

July 2008 Car Sales:

 

Car Brand	Units	July 08 share	Change v. July 07
Ford	2,034	12.3%	+9.2%
Toyota	1,793	10.8%	-19.5%
BMW	1,644	9.9%	+453%
VW	1,443	8.7%	-4.5%
Nissan	1,341	8.1%	+39%