Toyota sold more vehicles than any other manufacturer again in 2005, confirming it as Ireland’s favourite marque. In 2005, Toyota sold 24,260 cars, while Ford sold 20,413 and VW took third place selling 14,653 cars.
Last year, 11 per cent more new cars left the country’s showrooms, which took the total sold to 171,732. That 11 per cent rise was on top of a six per cent rise experienced in 2004 and has meant new car sales are steadily climbing to the magical 200,000 mark.
Confirming this, Toyota expects an even better performance this year and predicts to sell close to 26,000 new cars out of a total market of 185,000 cars. "Our impressive performance is down to very loyal customers, very strong products and a strong dealer network," said Stephen Tormey, Toyota sales and marketing director.
"With strong pre-orders for the new Yaris and the arrival of the new Rav 4, we would hope to remain number one again this year."
Ford and Toyota are set to battle it out for the number one position again this year, but Toyota will have the edge. Its new Yaris, which has all the makings of a best seller, as well as the summertime arrival of the RAV 4, will strengthen what is already a formidable range.
Despite coming second in the sales charts, last year was also an impressive year for Ford, as its MD, Eddie Murphy, explained: "2005 was a highly successful year for the blue oval, with the rise in Ford car sales of 20 per cent easily outpacing the market."
Ford, he says, will build on that success. But while the Focus is expected to do well and the arrival of an all-new Galaxy will further boost sales, Ford’s mainstay, the Mondeo, is now being run out in preparation for the arrival of the next generation and the Fiesta is already at midcycle.
As a result, Ford says it will achieve a 12 per cent marketshare in 2006, which appears to be an affirmation that Toyota will take the title again this year.
The end-of-year sales figures also revealed other climbers and fallers. BMW, which has benefited from a plethora of recently introduced models as well as some aggressive marketing, topped the premium sector. The record year for BMW, during which sales grew by 20 per cent and reached 5,623 cars, meant it finished well ahead of rivals Mercedes-Benz and Audi.
However BMW may see a change in its fortunes as Mercedes’ new product offensive begins to close the gap between the two German prestige manufacturers.
With the new S-Class joining the recently launched Bclass and M-Class, Mercedes is confident it will recapture lost ground, eventually regaining the pole premium position.
Opel, which two years ago promised it would again top the car sales charts by 2007, saw sales improve through 2005. At the end of 2004, the company had just 6.99 per cent of the new car market, which meant it was in sixth place. In 2005 things improved slightly with Opel moving up just one place making it the fifth most popular marque overall. But with the number of Opels sold in 2005 some 12,000 units below the market leader, there is still a long way to go before the company’s promise of regaining its number one position comes true.
Sales predictions for this year are positive as the first effects of the SSIA payouts are felt. The saving scheme payouts will have a significant impact on car sales, with at least an extra 10,000 to 15,000 new cars expected to be bought by SSIA savers. This will take new car sales for 2006 to between 182,000, and 187,000 units.
However, with one-third of new cars being sold within the first 60 days of each year and twothirds sold within the first four months, this year’s SSIA payments, which begin in April, will come too late for many considering buying a new car. As a result, it will be next year before the full impact of the ¤15bn released by the government’s incentive savings scheme is felt by the motor industry.