It has been reported today by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) that new car sales were up 11% during May in comparison to the same month last year. That brings the year on year increase up to 26%.
Last month there were 6,940 new cars registered and year to date there has been 80,913. SIMI has also released figures relating to the LCV (Light Commercial Vehicles) market, which is showing a 35% increase during May (56% year to date) and HGVs were also up by 38%.
Jobs within the industry are also climbing according to the CSO who reported a rise of employment within the motor trade of 2,800 jobs during the first quarter of 2015. At present there are approximately 44,700 people employed in the Irish Motor Industry.
Deputy Director General of SIMI Brian Cooke said “We are fast approaching the half way mark of 2015, with confidence continuing to grow in the economy generally and among SIMI members regarding the business outlook in the months ahead.
This confidence is reflected in the creation of new jobs within the Industry. Recent figures released from the CSO confirm that employment in our Industry is in steady recovery mode and has seen a rise of 2,800 jobs in the first quarter of 2015 (Q4 2014 41,900). Employment within the Motor Industry is currently estimated at 44,700.”
“While sales in new and used vehicles, both cars and commercials, are continuing to show strong growth, the Aftermarket and Repair Sectors are experiencing much more modest improvement. The reality is that even with the rise in new vehicle sales the age profile of the national vehicle fleet is going to improve only slowly over the coming years and this directly impacts on business in these sectors.”
Suzanne Sheridan of the automotive recruitment agency Start Monday said, "It's clear that the growth in new car sales is continuing and this is reflected in the increased demand for jobs in the industry. With the important 152 registration period approaching, July is expected to be an extremely busy month for the industry."
The Top 3 selling models for the month of May were; Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Passat and the Skoda Octavia.
