Top 10: Irish car sales 2016

Figures published by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry show that over 146,000 new cars were registered in the country during 2016. In fact, market size grew by 17.5% compared to 2015, with most of the additional volume appearing in January and February.

The mix of fuel types didn’t really vary much, though. Despite a slow yet steady decline, diesel continued to be the favoured choice. Once again, the ‘alternative’ category posted the highest percentage increase, but pure-electric and hybrid cars accounted for just 2.2% of total registrations.

Irish Car Registrations 2016 - By Fuel Type
Fuel 2016 2015 +/- % +/-
Diesel 102,705 88,810 +13,895 +15.6%
Petrol 40,641 33,903 +6,738 +19.9%
Alternative 3,260 2,091 +1,169 +55.9%
Total 146,606 124,804 +21,802 +17.5%
Figures provided by SIMI Motorstats

In terms of individual manufacturer performances, there were some interesting developments.

Volkswagen dropped from first to third position after a fairly flat year, thereby handing the lead to Toyota. Hyundai meanwhile moved up from fourth to the runner-up spot.

Apart from Opel and Renault swapping places (thanks mainly to the French firm launching its Kadjar compact crossover), the top ten table’s bottom half remained unaltered.

Top 10: Irish Car Registrations 2016 - By Manufacturer
Position Manufacturer 2016 2015 +/- % +/-
1 Toyota 15,530 13,109 +2,421 +18.5%
2 Hyundai 15,442 11,484 +3,958 +34.5%
3 Volkswagen 15,411 15,236 +175 +1.1%
4 Ford 14,606 12,052 +2,554 +21.2%
5 Nissan 11,885 11,198 +687 +6.1%
6 Škoda 9,447 7,816 +1,631 +20.9%
7 Renault 8,379 6,090 +2,289 +37.6%
8 Opel 7,888 7,483 +405 +5.4%
9 Kia 6,710 5,481 +1,229 +22.4%
10 Audi 6,066 5,224 +842 +16.1%
Figures provided by SIMI Motorstats

The arrival of an all-new Tucson was the main reason for Hyundai’s strong overall showing. 7,425 examples were registered, thereby making this SUV the most popular model in Ireland by a huge margin. As a comparison, 2015’s equivalent number for the superseded ix35 was 3,429.

Hyundai Tucson (2016) Front Side
The Hyundai Tucson, Ireland's best-selling car in 2016.

Consequently, the Golf ended up being ranked second. More bad news for Volkswagen concerned the Passat, which was relegated from fifth to ninth slot.

Top 10: Irish Car Registrations 2016 - By Model
Position Model 2016 2015 +/- % +/-
1 Hyundai Tucson 7,425 65 +7,360 +11,323.1%
2 Volkswagen Golf 5,464 5,820 -356 -6.1%
3 Ford Focus 4,835 4,364 +471 +10.8%
4 Škoda Octavia 4,660 3,887 +773 +19.9%
5 Nissan Qashqai 4,591 4,163 +428 +10.3%
6 Ford Fiesta 3,827 3,474 +353 +10.2%
7 Toyota Corolla 3,751 3,474 +277 +8.0%
8 Toyota Yaris 3,727 2,840 +887 +31.2%
9 Volkswagen Passat 3,658 3,743 -85 -2.3%
10 Kia Sportage 2,871 2,589 +282 +10.9%
Figures provided by SIMI Motorstats

Related posts:
Top 10: Irish car sales 2015
Top 10: Irish car sales 2014

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