Car sales year to date are down by 10pc and light commercial vehicles are down by 13pc, according to registration figures for the first four months of the year, writes Brian Byrne.
The top selling car brands are Toyota, Volkswagen, Ford, Hyundai and Nissan; and the top selling models are Hyundai's Tucson, Nissan's Qashqai, Skoda's Octavia, Ford's Focus and Volkswagen's Golf.
The director general of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, Alan Nolan, says the year was already on track to be 'unpredictable' and that while the economy continued to strengthen, the consumers are being 'more cautious'.
He added that the industry was continuing to 'entice' consumers with very strong offers, and he noted that even with the lower sterling values as a result of Brexit, virtually no new cars had been imported.
