Top 10: Irish car sales 2011

Despite continued bleak economic conditions, the Irish car market managed to grow slightly during 2011. Figures released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry show that total registrations were 89,904, an increase of 1.7% compared to the previous year’s 88,373.

Around 12,000 of 2011’s sales were due to the scrappage scheme, which closed at the end of June. This gave Vehicle Registration Tax relief of €1,250 per new car, provided that the customer’s trade-in was at least ten-years-old.

While the Focus was the most popular model, Ford slumped to third place in the manufacturers’ rankings. That left Toyota to take the top spot, closely followed by Volkswagen.

Ford Focus ECOnetic (2012) Front Side
Ireland's most popular car in 2011: The Ford Focus.

BMW slipped into the top ten, thanks mainly to 2,163 new 5 Series registrations. The entire Mercedes-Benz range combined couldn’t beat that performance, which contributed to BMW achieving a massive 37.7% year-on-year sales upsurge.

Even that wasn’t quite enough to beat rivals Audi, though, because it too experienced an impressive growth rate and ended the year with 3,464 registrations.

The other stand-out success was Hyundai, which posted 1,052 extra sales compared to 2010.

Top 10: Irish Car Sales 2011 - By Manufacturer
Position Manufacturer 2011 2010 +/- % +/-
1 Toyota 11,812 10,660 1,152 10.8%
2 Volkswagen 11,247 10,301 946 9.2%
3 Ford 10,519 11,215 -696 -6.2%
4 Renault 8,580 9,746 -1,166 -12.0%
5 Nissan 6,763 5,494 1,269 23.1%
6 Opel 6,387 6,603 -216 -3.3%
7 Škoda 4,651 4,915 -264 -5.4%
8 Hyundai 4,011 2,959 1,052 35.6%
9 Audi 3,464 2,723 741 27.2%
10 BMW 3,433 2,493 940 37.7%
Figures provided by SIMI Statistical Service

Top 10: Irish Car Sales 2011 - By Model
Position Manufacturer Model Registrations
1 Ford Focus 4,242
2 Volkswagen Golf 3,980
3 Toyota Avensis 3,661
4 Renault Fluence 3,016
5 Volkswagen Passat Saloon 2,975
6 Ford Fiesta 2,953
7 Nissan Qashqai 2,653
8 Toyota Corolla 2,592
9 Renault Mégane 2,530
10 Toyota Yaris 2,311
Figures provided by SIMI Statistical Service

Related posts:
Top 10: UK car sales 2011
Top 10: Irish car sales 2010

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