Business

Pent-up demand for new cars ebbs as second wave hits consumer confidence

Just 34,475 new cars were sold in the north in the first 11 months of 2020, almost 15,000 less than the same period in 2019.
Just 34,475 new cars were sold in the north in the first 11 months of 2020, almost 15,000 less than the same period in 2019. Just 34,475 new cars were sold in the north in the first 11 months of 2020, almost 15,000 less than the same period in 2019.

THE post-lockdown pent-up demand for new vehicles appears to be at an end, with 2020 almost certain to be the worst year on record for the north’s car industry.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said 2,942 new cars were registered in Northern Ireland during November, seven per cent below the 3,160 recorded in the same month last year.

It means just 34,475 new cars were sold here in the first 11 months of 2020, almost 15,000 less than the same period in 2019.

The worst year on record for the industry was 2011, when sales fell to 47,229.

After being forced to close from March to June, sales of new motors in the north during the four-month period from July to October outperformed the corresponding months in 2019.

It helped dealers claw back some of the heavy losses incurred during the Covid-19 restriction period.

That gap has narrowed from 50.8 per cent in June to 30.3 per cent in November.

But the second wave of Covid-19 appears to have hit consumer confidence levels.

The annual total for new car sales is expected to be at least 10,000 below the worst year on record.

Ford’s Focus (973) and Fiesta (972) were the best-selling new cars in the north at the end of November, ahead of the Hyundai Tucson (960), the Volkswagen Golf (915) and the Nisan Qashqai (754).

The rest of top ten comprised of the Renault Captur (660), Volkswagen Tiguan (651), Ford Kuga (632), Volkswagen Polo (620) and the Ford Puma (609).