More cars sold on July 1 than in June

More cars were sold on July 1 - the first day of the new “132” number plate - than during the whole of June according to figures just released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI).

A total of 1,927 cars were sold yesterday (July 1), compared with just 1,672 during the whole of June and only one on July 1 last year.

Total passenger car sales for the first six months of this year stands at 53,229.

Of that figure 17,242 were sold in January, 10,579 in February, 11,645 in March, 6,145 in April, 5,946 in May and 1,672 in June.

A total of 688 cars - or 1.29 per cent of the total - were sold in Offaly.

Speaking about sales on July 1, SIMI director general Alan Nolan said it’s a very positive start to the new “132” year.

“Clearly motorists can see the benefits of a ‘132’ plate and are availing of the offers out there, with many only available for the introductory period,” he said.

“Feedback from dealerships had indicated a lot of interest in the run-up to the new plate but it’s always hard to gauge just how much until we see the actual registrations coming through. As it’s the first year of the new dual registration, we hope that the momentum continues for the coming weeks and months.”