While British sales of 4x4 off-road vehicles have dipped for the first time in years, Irish motorists remain unabashed about buying SUVs.
Latest industry figures to the end of July showed SUV sales here were up 15 per cent on the same period last year. Sales of SUVs stood at 13,459 at the end of July, representing some 8.5 per cent of the total new car sales market.
Korean firm Hyundai continues to top the sales league, with sales of nearly 3,000 Santa Fe and Tucson models.
These are followed by the Suzuki Grand Vitara, Nissan X-Trail and Toyota Rav-4.
At the luxury end of the market, Range Rover continues to dominate its segment with 714 cars sold to the end of July, followed by the new Mercedes ML-Class with 396. BMW's X5, due for replacement next year, is third with 368 sales, while the new entrant, Audi's Q7, has already recorded 55 sales, despite being on sale for only a matter of months.
The Irish sales figures contrast with those in Britain where 105,196 new off-roaders were sold in the first seven months of 2006, compared with 106,732 in the months from January to July 2005.
The British Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders called the figures "insignificant", saying the British new-car market had fallen 4.2 per cent in the past seven months, with 4x4 sales dipping about 0.1 per cent. "This is probably just the market reaching a plateau," said a spokesman.
However, some commentators said it was possible the British market for 4x4s was starting to follow the US where such sales fell 28 per cent last year, mostly reflecting rising petrol prices.
"It could be, some off-roader owners have been put off by talk of large rises in vehicle excise duty for 4x4s," said Ken Hurst, editorial director of The Manufacturer Magazine, which published the figures.
But he added that 4x4s could be going out of fashion, the cars having lost their status to be seen by children as an embarrassment at the school gates.