NEW car registrations in Limerick county in the opening 10 days of 2011 rocketed by a massive 25%, defying predictions that the industry was likely to be a major casualty of the recession. Meanwhile, sales in the city increased by around 20% over the corresponding period in 2010. In fact, such has been the overall demand that Noel Daly, sales manager, O’Mara Motors, reported that they now have unavailability of some models, especially 4-wheel drives, until March.
“Yes, the market is buoyant, as reflected in sales figures and the number of people coming through our showroom”.
The latest statistics, compiled by Motorcheck ie, reveal a total of 232 new cars registered in Limerick county, compared with 185 for the same period last year.
In the city area, 85 units were sold, compared to 70 in January 2010.
Eamonn McInerney, sales manager, Ennis Road Motors, main Opel dealers, said they were pleasantly surprised.
“It has been a tremendous start to the year, both for new and second-hand.
“The continuation of the scrappage deal to next June has certainly helped, but we are finding that motorists are trading in four, five and six -year-old vehicles.
“Likewise, good quality second-hand models are also moving well, and there are even those buying new cars with surplus cash. Yes, it is very good right across the board”.
As with Noel Daly, he agreed that banks and lending institutions had tightened up- “but if your credit rating is good, your prospects of getting a loan are equally good”.
Diesel continues to be the most popular choice of engine for Limerick buyers with 75% of registrations.
Shane Teskey of Motorcheck.ie reports big increase in new car sales in both Limerick city and county, and is confident that sales will remain buoyant
