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Cars image via Shutterstock

New car sales down 8 per cent in February

The top selling car make was Volkswagen, followed by Ford and Toyota and black was the most popular car colour.

FIGURES RELEASED TODAY from the Society of the Irish Industry (SIMI) show that car sales in February were down 8 per cent on the same month last year. For the year in total, sales are down 15 per cent but sales of heavy commercial vehicles were up 16 per cent last month.

Light commercial vehicles were down 18 per cent and sales of passenger cars are down from 17,237 in January to 10,617 last month.

The top selling car make was Volkswagen, followed by Ford and Toyota. The Nissan Qashqai was the top selling car model with the Volkswaen Golf and Ford Focus coming second and third.

The most popular car colour was black at 23 per cent with silver and grey following close behind.

(If you have trouble viewing this image, click here.)

94 per cent of cars sold so far this year fall in the two lowest CO2 emission categories, 26 per cent sold were petrol and 74 per cent were diesel.

Commenting on the figures today, deputy general director of SIMI Brian Cooke said that while sales fell in February, the decline was “significantly less than it had been in January.

“We weren’t expecting any significant boost from the new number plate system in year one, but at least people now understand that the new system will be continued in future years and the misconception that it was for this year only has dissipated,” he said.

“We still however expect the new registration plate to take some time to take hold, and hopefully it will continue to create interest as more and more of the new plates are seen on the roads. Clearly sales in March will be closely watched as the first quarter will be crucial as to how the year pans out.”

Related: Motoring industry reports 11.5pc drop in new cars sold in 2012>
Read: First look: Here’s what the new 2013 numberplates will look like>

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38 Comments
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    Mute Mjhint
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    Jan 18th 2013, 8:02 AM

    good to see this crap taken off the streets. Tha gardai that do this type of work are the toughest bravest citizens in the state & no money could pay them to do it. They dont get enough of support.

    302
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    Mute Jack Bowden
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    Jan 18th 2013, 8:24 AM

    They do a good job and get payed well for it.

    47
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    Mute Mjhint
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    Jan 18th 2013, 8:31 AM

    Really? I suggest you go into the courts & see who they have to deal with before you consider their pay grade. I wouldnt or couldnt do their job.

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    Mute Richard Fennelly
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    Jan 18th 2013, 8:54 AM

    Is your avator meant to be ironic

    39
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    Mute howsaboutya
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    Jan 18th 2013, 9:24 AM

    I don’t know enough to comment on how good or bad they are at their job. Fair play to them but nobody is forcing them to do it. It’s your opinion.

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    Mute Gerard
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    Jan 18th 2013, 8:17 AM

    Great work get this dirty drug out of Ireland

    149
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    Mute Dave Bowery
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    Jan 18th 2013, 8:39 AM

    Well done to the Gardai, they are doing a good job despite all the obstacles put in their way

    132
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    Mute Keith Anthony Patrick Irish
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    Jan 18th 2013, 8:52 AM

    Great find, that disgusting drug killed my sister, great to see such a big find and hopefully all involved wont see freedom for manys a year now.

    110
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    Mute Rob Cunningham
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    Jan 18th 2013, 7:52 AM

    Nidge won’t be happy!

    91
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    Mute Baz
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    Jan 18th 2013, 7:55 AM

    Can I hit the red thumb twice for the love hate jokes? .. Please Journal

    117
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    Mute Simon McGrath
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    Jan 18th 2013, 10:44 AM

    Hahahaha

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    Mute Cpm
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    Jan 18th 2013, 1:44 PM

    @baz – ‘joke’ implies it was funny, it wasn’t

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    Mute Rob Cunningham
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    Jan 18th 2013, 2:15 PM

    Nidge doesn’t joke!

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    Mute jim melia
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    Jan 18th 2013, 8:32 AM

    Great capture, heroin is a scourge across all societies. Hopefully there won’t be any punishment attacks as a result of this seizure.

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    Mute Noel Magee
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    Jan 18th 2013, 8:18 AM

    At least it’s more productive that all the recent cannabis seizures!

    62
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    Mute Damocles
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    Jan 18th 2013, 9:37 AM

    Do a lot of the seizures seem to be in the Kildare area?

    Or am I just misremembering?

    53
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    Mute Hugh Casey
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    Jan 18th 2013, 11:00 AM

    Celbridge is the Baltimore of Leinster.

    31
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    Mute Abi Dennis
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    Jan 18th 2013, 8:30 AM

    Would you like some cake fathers, theres cocaine in it! Oh sorry its those what do you call its…RAISINS!

    47
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    Mute Rob Cunningham
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    Jan 18th 2013, 4:41 PM

    Careful, the joke police are patrolling…

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    Mute Bryan N
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    Jan 18th 2013, 7:54 AM

    Hate that, somebody’s gonna be pi$$ed !

    33
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    Mute Thomas O Leary
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    Jan 18th 2013, 9:57 AM

    About time they found something other than cannabis. There is a lot more of the sh*t on the street to Gardai, Win for you now but a lot more work to do!

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    Mute Shane Hickey
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    Jan 18th 2013, 8:30 AM

    I just can’t get that in such a small country there are quantities bigger than this latest find stashed all over the place and its hard to find? Surely its being managed by a small number of people, all of whom will be known to the gards and customs.

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    Mute Richie Curry
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    Jan 18th 2013, 1:27 PM

    Gardai did well here but it is what they are paid to do…..

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    Mute Rob Cunningham
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    Jan 18th 2013, 4:46 PM

    Not very well I’m afraid. The pay doesn’t reflect the dangers there exposed to. After all the cut over the last few yrs it’s worse than ever before. Gardai don’t get enough credit.

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    Mute Nikolas Koehler
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    Jan 18th 2013, 6:43 PM

    Does anyone know how much of the 35kg was heroin and how much was cocaine? I’m trying to figure out what the official Garda value of a gram of either of these drugs is.

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