January, 20 , 2010

EARLY SIGNS FOR car sales in 2010 weren’t good. Sales for the first 10 days of 2010 showed that car sales were down 30 per cent on the same period in 2009, a year that itself was a disaster for the Irish motoring industry. The weather has been largely blamed for this and since the great thaw that has followed the big freeze, showroom traffic appears to be returning to levels that will give the industry some cause for hope.Twenty-day figures are likely to show a return to stronger sales and most commentators are predicting that the 10-day figures in February will give us a true indication of where the market will be headed this year.

According to Alan Nolan, director general of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, the availability of finance is still a concern, but there has been an easing in the availability for new car sales.“There is a sense that particularly on the new car end of things and particularly on scrappage there doesn’t appear to be too much difficulty in getting finance. It is beginning to ease on the used car side but it is still a concern. There are signs that it is improving and we would hope that it would continue to improve.