The industry had predicted total sales of 75,000 units for 2013 but the final figures will be almost 1,000 units short of this target.
It's not all doom and gloom, however, as new commercial sales finished the year 3 percent up on 2012. The number one and number two spots in both make and model went to Ford and VW respectively for Ford Transit and VW Caddy.
The used car market was also very buoyant with overall sales of used cars on the up and a huge 25 percent increase on used vehicles imported into the country during 2013. Experts warn here that motorists need to be vigilant.
"With a shortage of used stock, unsavoury practices are more evident than ever in the used car market" said Michael Rochford of Motorcheck.ie. "We encounter the horror stories on a daily basis, and consumers considering buying a used car need to protect themselves from clocking, badly repaired write-offs and vehicles under finance."
Some 5,000 cars were towed from NCT centres last year because they were deemed too dangerous to be driven. Rochford says Irish motorists would be wise to be cautious with any used car, regardless of whether it's an Irish car or imported from the UK.
