People carriers in sales boom

Toyota remains top of the car sales table for 2004, with its Corolla model holding top spot with 4,335 sales to the end of April…

Toyota remains top of the car sales table for 2004, with its Corolla model holding top spot with 4,335 sales to the end of April, ahead of its leading competitor the Ford Focus, with 3,966.

The latest statistics on model sales show the Focus remains a strong seller on the Irish market despite the fact that it's being replaced later this year. In third place is the Toyota Avensis, with 3,732 sales to April.

In a breakdown of the various market segments, while the family hatchback market continues to dominate the Irish market with a 32.95 per cent share overall, the growth areas remains people carriers or MPVs, and off-roaders.

Within these segments, the greatest growth has been in the mid-range people carriers, where Renault leads the way with its Scenic model, but sales overall for these high-roofed vehicles are up 48.7 per cent on last year.

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The 4x4 market has recorded similar growth, with sales up 39.3 per cent and these vehicles now represent 6 per cent of all car sales in Ireland.

Michael McAleer

Michael McAleer

Michael McAleer is Motoring Editor, Innovation Editor and an Assistant Business Editor at The Irish Times