The market for new cars in April has continued at the same level of increase that has been seen since the start of the year, with sales for April up 28% compared to the same month last year.

So far this year, a total of 57,793 new cars have been sold.

Commenting on the results, Alan Nolan, Director General, said: “The Industry had been closely watching the trend this month as Easter can have a key impact, with two short weeks, hire-drive business and the potential for car sales to begin to slow down at this time of year. The results for April actually confirm that the level of demand has continued at the same rate as earlier months, reflecting increased consumer activity, which augers well in relation to progress toward economic recovery."

Commercial vehicle sales are often a better barometer of the domestic economy and the Heavy Commercial Vehicle market is also showing signs of significant improvement with sales up 44% year to date.

The increase in Light Commercial Vehicle sales is a sign that small Irish businesses appear more confident about the future. While the HGV and LGV figures are off a low base, they do indicate increased activity in the economy.”

Stats in short:
• New car sales up 27% on 2013
• 57,793 cars were sold v 45,610 in 2013 (Jan-April)
• New car sales in April up 28% on last year
• Top 3 selling car brands so far this year Volkswagen, Toyota & Ford 
• Top 3 selling models so far this year the VW Golf, Nissan Qashqai & Ford Focus