New car sales decline by 42%, but Audi scores

4 October 2001: Provisional figures from the motor industry for September 2001 show that 5,452 new cars were registered during the month - that's a decline of just over 42% compared to 9,199 registered for the same month in 2000.

VW was the top seller for the month, while sibling brand Audi, whose latest A4 (left) is doing very well for them, was the only marque to show an increase.

A total of 155, 634 new cars have now been registered during the period Jan.-Sept. compared to 219,462 during the first nine months of the year 2001, a decrease of 29.08%. Last year, the motor industry in Ireland enjoyed its best ever year.

"This unusually sharp decline for the month is hardly a surprise after those horrific events of September 11th," said Paolo Gagliardo, Fiat Auto Ireland CEO. "Undoubtedly the bombings created a global feeling of uncertainty and nervousness. For Ireland the underlying economic indicators are still very positive and oil prices are being pressured downwards.

"I am sure the present feeling of a lack of confidence is based on an emotional response, not on the facts so we now need to work together and to have faith in our abilities and confidence that working together we will win."

For the month of September 2001, the Top Ten best selling marques were as follows: VW 818; Opel 483; Toyota 420; FIAT 416; Renault 389; Ford 379; Nissan 357; Peugeot 318; Skoda 201; Audi 152.

In the Elite Brands sector, the results for the month were as follows: Audi 152; M.-Benz 145; BMW 128; Volvo 90; Alfa Romeo 81; Saab 47. JG/BB

MEANWHILE: European car sales will fall by 600,000 this year and a further one million in 2002 before resuming a powerful resurgence in 2003, according to a new report.

Published by World Markets Research Centre (WMRC), it says sales had been expected to decline gently by around 200,000 in 2001 to 14.5 million.

But because of the attack in the US on September 11 and its shattering impact on consumer confidence, the Centre slashed a further 400,000 from its forecast for 2001.

Other market researchers and analysts have been scrambling to cut their car market forecasts.

Just recently DRI-WEFA chopped another 300,000 vehicles or two percent more from its forecast for 2002. Previously it had expected sales of cars and light trucks to fall two percent in 2002.

Investment bank Credit Suisse First Boston last week cut its forecast for European car sales by five percent to 13.8 million for 2002.

The WMRC report forecasts sales of 14.1 million cars in 2001, 13.1 million in 2002, and a recovery to 14.2 million in 2003. This represents drops of four percent in 2001 and seven percent next year.

West European car sales hit a record 15.2 million in 1999. CFC