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Even celebrity endorsements aren't helping. Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland
Motoring
New car sales continue to fall significantly
However, official figures are greatly exaggerated because of last year’s scrappage scheme.
THE NUMBER OF new private cars licensed last month fell by over 40 per cent when compared with June 2011.
According to official figures from the Central Statistics Office, just 5,481 cars were sold in the 30 days, compared to 9,240 the previous year when the Government’s scrappage scheme entered its final month.
The total number of all vehicles licensed (including used, imported cars) was 11,517, compared to 15,936 last June.
The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) said that if the scrappage cars sold last June are excluded, the drop in sales is more in the vicinity of 7.5 per cent – not almost 41 per cent.
However, director general Alan Nolan described business as “extremely fragile”. He added that protecting jobs is now a key objective for the sector.
The industry expect to sell about 77,000 new cars in total during 2012 – a figure that had almost been reached by June last year.
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