New car registrations fell by 73 per cent in June as consumers opted to wait until July and get the first of the new 132 registration plates.
According to figures from motorcheck.ie, so far this year 52,978 new cars have been registered, down 20 per cent on the same period last year.
According to motorcheck.ie's Managing Director Shane Teskey: "The introduction of the 132 number plate from July 1st may have put some buyers off registering a car in June. The next week or so will be a very important period for an industry that's already in crisis".
Volkswagen maintains the top spot with 13 per cent of sales, followed closely by Toyota with 11 per cent and Ford at 10 per cent.
The number of imported second hand cars grew by 41 per cent in June and now totals 24,826 this year - an increase of 22 per cent on the same period last year.
New cars registered from today will bear the new 132 registration plate. Under the registration system introduced at the start of this year, an extra digit is added to the year of registration on the number plate, with a 1 showing the car was registered in the first six months and a 2 showing it was registered in the second. The 132 plate will feature on cars registered from next month; the plate will change to 141 next January, 142 next July, and so on.
The aim is to spread new-car sales over the year, doing away with the start-of-year surge that has defined the market in the past. Previously more a third of new-car sales took place in the first three months of the year. Dealers complained that staff were over-run at peak times, and unable to offer customers the quality of service manufacturers want.
