MORE PEOPLE IN Ireland bought cars this year, with a 17 per cent increase in registrations over last year to the end of November.
In those eleven months, a total of 146,173 new passenger cars were registered.
Competition between the top three brands – Hyundai, Volkswagen and Toyota – is close, with less than 200 units separating first and third place. There are some expected popular models at the top of the table, though a dig through the data throws up some interesting results. Here’s the top five and a couple of odd results from further down the charts.
Of the ever-increasing number of SUVs on the market today, it is the Tucson that tops the registration charts. As the replacement for the very popular Hyundai ix35, the Tucson had to be good. A big plus has been the more appealing exterior styling while inside the cabin looks and feels much improved.
The seemingly evergreen Golf has once more proved to be a popular choice amongst Irish motorists, with more than 5,000 units registered so far this year. There’s no shortage of choice in the range either. With three and five-door hatchbacks, as well as estate body styles not to mention the numerous other hybrid and performance derivatives, there’s almost something there for every taste.
Even though the Ford Focus range might not have as many variants as the Volkswagen Golf, it has seen almost the same number of units registered with 4,834 to date this year. This sensible four-door saloon, five-door hatchback or estate drives well and comes with a good range of engines to choose from including a 125hp 1.0-litre petrol.
(We’d happily take the 350hp Ford RS model, though.)
When it comes to space inside the Skoda Octavia almost seems to defy physics. With excellent rear passenger legroom and an enormous boot, it’s easy to see why there has been such demand for the Octavia in Ireland.
Widely considered to be the car that kick-started the crossover craze, the second-generation Qashqai continues to perform well in the new car registration charts. But with increasing amounts of competition, it remains to be seen if it can continue to prove to be as successful in 2017.
A look further down the new car registration charts reveals that for some people the boom is indeed back, with Audi A8s, Ford Mustangs and Porsche Cayennes all seeing healthy registration figures in high double digits while BMW saw more than 120 new 7 Series models registered.
Even though its official store has yet to open, seven new Tesla Model S cars were also registered.
But with all league tables, there must also be some losers that prop up the bottom of the charts. 2016 hasn’t proven to be a big year for Citroen’s breakaway DS brand, which per the official figures from SIMI (Society of the Irish Motor Industry) saw just 13 new models were registered in 2016. (Read our review of the DS 3 here).
Alfa Romeo continued its poor form by registering just 41 units, two less than the previous year (although it does have some new models arriving next year), while Jeep has seen just 99 cars get 161 or 162 plates.
The data also shows up some obscure models being registered. This includes one new Ford Probe (remember those?) and three Renault Twizy electric cars. Other rare spots to look out for include three Volvo XC70s, two MINI Pacemans (or should than be Pacemen?) and a pair of Audi R8s.
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