FORD TAKES LEADING POSITION IN 1st QUARTER CAR MARKET REBOUND
Figures issued by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) today show that car sales in Ireland rebounded by 78 percent during the month of March. Sales for the month were 13,813 vehicles, while the figure for March 2009 was 7,762 vehicles. Year to date figures show a sales increase of 31 percent over the first quarter in 2009.
The figures also show that Ford has maintained its position as the country’s best-selling car brand for both the month of March and for the first quarter of 2010. Ford registered 1,966 cars during March, bringing its total for the first quarter to 5,868 or 13.8 percent of the market; ahead of Toyota (5,395 units or 12.7 percent of the market).
March was the 4th month in a row that car sales have risen year-on-year.
Car Sales First Quarter & March 2010 – ranked by 1st quarter sales
|
Brand |
January-March 2010 |
March 2010 |
|
Ford |
5,868 (13.8%) |
1,966 (14.2%) |
|
Toyota |
5,395 (12.7%) |
1,569 (11.4%) |
|
VW |
4,737 (11.1%) |
1,587 (11.5%) |
|
Renault |
3,818 (9.0%) |
1,157 (8.4%) |
|
Opel |
3,076 (7.2%) |
980 (7.1%) |
|
Nissan |
2,990 (7.0%) |
1,244 (9.0%) |
|
Total industry |
42,554 |
13,813 |
“These figures are very welcome for the industry”, said David O’Driscoll, Sales Director at Ford Ireland. “Clearly, they show the benefit of the government scrappage scheme. With three quarters of the cars sold in March falling in the lowest CO2 VRT tax bands A & B, it highlights the green revolution that is transforming the Irish car market”.
With the Fiesta and Focus the two top-selling cars in the country for 2010 (2,115 and 2,057 units respectively), Ford also claimed more sales than any other brand in the ultra-low-emission ‘A’ VRT band.
“We are also noticing an increased level of business in the fleet sector which is an encouraging sign for the economy as a whole,” said O’Driscoll.
The commercial vehicle sector also registered a significant increase of 31 percent in the first quarter of 2010. Ford topped the market, with 954 vehicle sales or 17.9% market share.