The all important 10 day figures produced by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) have been released and show that the market is down over 21% on the same period last year.  That is 1,851 units less than 2012. So far 6,680 new passenger vehicles have been registered.

Toyota lead the way with 13% market share, but it is the performance of Hyundai that will surprise some as they currently hold second spot with 12%. Ford, Volkswagen and Skoda complete the top 5. Next up is Nissan in 6th, Kia in 7th followed by Audi, BMW and Peugeot, the top French brand in 10th.

The Toyota Avensis is the bestselling car at this early stage with 251 units sold, followed by the VW Golf and the ford Focus. Next best is the Nissan Qashqai with the Ford Fiesta in fifth.