Cars

Golf still Ireland's favourite

The Ford Fiesta was Northern Ireland's favourite car in 2015, the seventh consecutive year it topped the UK sales charts
The Ford Fiesta was Northern Ireland's favourite car in 2015, the seventh consecutive year it topped the UK sales charts The Ford Fiesta was Northern Ireland's favourite car in 2015, the seventh consecutive year it topped the UK sales charts

THE five most popular new models with Irish motorists on both sides of the border in 2015 were the Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus, Ford Fiesta, Nissan Qashqai and Skoda Octavia, writes William Scholes.

Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the industry's trade body in the UK, and its counterpart in the Republic, the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, show that 7,375 Golfs were registered last year.

This all-Ireland total puts the VW a substantial 1,400 units clear of the Focus. Its performance could have been stronger still; in the UK, Volkswagen sales fell in the final months of the year as the effects of the company's emissions scandal kicked in.

The Golf, Focus, Fiesta and Qashqai are the only models to appear in both the Northern Ireland and Republic top 10s.

While the market in the Republic boomed last year - soaring to 124,945 registrations, a rise of 30 per cent compared to 2014- Northern Ireland stagnated. Registrations in the north fell 0.18 per cent to 57,097 compared to the 2014 total of 57,202. The total UK market increased by 6.3 per cent to 2,625,361, the best year on record.

Northern Ireland's 10 favourite new cars in 2015

Model Total registrations Percentage market share

1. Ford Fiesta 2,407 4.2

2. Volkswagen Golf 1,856 3.3

3. Ford Focus 1,713 3.0

4. Volkswagen Polo 1,587 2.8

5. Vauxhall Corsa 1,456 2.6

6. Nissan Qashqai 1,216 2.1

7. Vauxhall Mokka 1,159 2.0

8. Ford Kuga 1,143 2.0

9. Renault Clio 1,075 1.9

10. Renault Captur 1,003 1.8

Total top 10 14,615 25.6

Northern Ireland total 57,097

*source: Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders

Republic's 10 favourite new cars in 2015

Model Total registrations Percentage market share

1. Volkswagen Golf 5,519 4.4

2. Ford Focus 4,248 3.4

3. Nissan Qashqai 4,163 3.3

4. Skoda Octavia 3,887 3.1

5. Ford Fiesta 3,474 2.8

6. Toyota Corolla 3,474 2.8

7. Hyundai ix35 3,429 2.7

8. Volkswagen Passat 3,165 2.5

9. Toyota Yaris 2,840 2.3

10. Kia Sportage 2,589 2.0

Total top 10 36,788 29.4

Republic total 124,845

* source: Society of the Irish Motor Industry