New car registrations rose slightly in April, according to the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, the first monthly rise since December 2016.
There were 8,102 new cars registered last month, according to SIMI’s latest statistics, up 3.3% on April 2017.
Despite the rise, new car registrations are 4.7% (3,926) lower so far this year.
Meanwhile the number of used cars being imported into Ireland has continued to rise – up 19.3% in April at 8,649.
In the first four months of the year imports are 11.7% higher at 34,763.
According to SIMI Volkswagen was the most popular car brand in April with a 14.5% share of the market.
It was followed by Hyundai, Kia, Skoda and Ford.
The Volkswagen Polo was the most popular model, followed by the Kia Sportage, Skoda Octavia, Volkswagen Golf and Hyundai Tucson.
The majority – 54.8% - of cars sold in the month were diesel-powered, though that fuel type has continued to lose market share.
Sales of petrol cars were up almost 20% in the month, while hybrid vehicle sales also grew.
Eclectic car sales enjoyed a 238.1% rise in the month, though from a low base. Electric cars represented just 1.7% of all sales in April and 0.5% of sales in the year to date.
Source: https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2018/0501/959497-car-sales-simi/