New car sales up 53%

CompleteCarGuy

Figures released by the SIMI show that new car sales were up 53 percent on the same period in 2009. 3,279 new cars were registered in October, a 115 percent increase on October 2009.

French firm Renault were the big winners in October. Renault were the biggest selling brand in Ireland in October with 29.03 percent of the market. They also were placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd when it came to individual models, with the Fluence, Megane and Clio the top-sellers in that order.

Also in October, figures showed that just over 90 percent of new cars sold in the month came from the lowest two tax bands, Band A and Band B.

http://www.completecar.ie/news/article/411/New-car-sales-up-53-after-strong-October

unkel

CompleteCar.ie wrote: »

Figures released by the SIMI show that new car sales were up 53 percent on the same period in 2009.

But 2010 sales are less than half what they were in 2007. If 2011 (without a scrappage scheme) sees the same sales as 2010, the trade should be very pleased. At still selling only half as many cars as they used to!

Ali Babba

CompleteCar.ie wrote: »

French firm Renault were the big winners in October. Renault were the biggest selling brand in Ireland in October with 29.03 percent of the market. They also were placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd when it came to individual models, with the Fluence, Megane and Clio the top-sellers in that order.

Just goes to show that the public in general know feck all about cars.

jock101

Really? I don't see much evidence of it on the Road! Most 2010 regs are white vans!

Nonoperational

God I can never ever ever ever see a situation where I'd buy a new Fluence. I'd genuinely rather spend 2k on an old Alfa 156 or something than drive around in one. But each to they're own.

Zubeneschamali

unkel wrote: »

But 2010 sales are less than half what they were in 2007.

2007 was the height of the boom, we're in a recession, and everyone knows we will be for years to come. A better yardstick would be sales in the 80s.

In 87, when the current reg system came in, there were less than 40,000 cars registered in Dublin. I think it went above 100K some years in the boom.

Ali Babba

Ali Babba wrote: »

Just goes to show that the public in general know feck all about cars.

They're cheap so they sell, like the Punto years back :pac:

CompleteCarGuy

Renault have an aggressive 2-3 year plan for Ireland and they are out-muscling all the other brands when it comes to marketing and advertising budgets. I don't know where it is going to leave them when they stop their deals, but for the moment they don't seem overly worried about it.

And they are going to do it again next year - with or without the government getting involved. They will do their own scrappage scheme again.

Stevie Dakota

gpf101 wrote: »

God I can never ever ever ever see a situation where I'd buy a new Fluence. I'd genuinely rather spend 2k on an old Alfa 156 or something than drive around in one. But each to they're own.

While it would not be my cup of tea either it's hard to argue with. Spacious, well made, cheap, well equipped, 5 year warranty (with upgrade), frugal, cheap to run. A very timely car if you ask me, on paper we should all be driving them!

Leonard Hofstadter

The Irish public's ability to buy utter crap never fails to amaze me.

In fairness Renault know exactly what most of the ordinary people, who know nothing about cars, want. They deserve their success here given the (stupid) mindset of most Irish people. You can't exactly begrudge their success, they've identified something people wanted, offered it and have done extremely well out of it, for now at least. No wonder they are keeping the 'scrappage' scheme running next year, it has been a massive success for them.

That said, we all know the cars wouldn't sell if they weren't giving them away.

Funny how Ford, VW and Toyota are on more or less the same market share without any of this giving away cars for nothing carry on. Ford and VW still only give a two year warranty yet Ford are number one, and deservedly so becasue of the mass market machinery they make by far the best cars.

I very much doubt next year will be as good as this year, even if the scrappage scheme is extended(which hopefully it won't be), with the up and coming budget which we are told will be one of the most draconian in the history of the country people won't have a cent to spend next year and they are certainly not going to be splashing out on a new year.

pajo1981

captainspeed wrote: »

The Irish public's ability to buy utter crap never fails to amaze me.

In fairness Renault know exactly what most of the ordinary people, who know nothing about cars, want. They deserve their success here given the (stupid) mindset of most Irish people. You can't exactly begrudge their success, they've identified something people wanted, offered it and have done extremely well out of it, for now at least. No wonder they are keeping the 'scrappage' scheme running next year, it has been a massive success for them.

That said, we all know the cars wouldn't sell if they weren't giving them away.

Funny how Ford, VW and Toyota are on more or less the same market share without any of this giving away cars for nothing carry on. Ford and VW still only give a two year warranty yet Ford are number one, and deservedly so becasue of the mass market machinery they make by far the best cars.

I very much doubt next year will be as good as this year, even if the scrappage scheme is extended(which hopefully it won't be), with the up and coming budget which we are told will be one of the most draconian in the history of the country people won't have a cent to spend next year and they are certainly not going to be splashing out on a new year.

Have you driven the new magane?

It's easily better than the focus.

who_ru

so much car snobbery going on in this thread.

Stevie Dakota

captainspeed wrote: »

In fairness Renault know exactly what most of the ordinary people, who know nothing about cars, want. They deserve their success here given the (stupid) mindset of most Irish people.

I think the above is amazingly offensive. If the Fluence is the best seller then it represents a victory for common sense, based on the criteria I listed in my post. It shows people respond well to a product that meets their needs, how is that 'stupid'?

CompleteCarGuy

pajo1981 wrote: »

Have you driven the new magane?

It's easily better than the focus.

Jaysus Pajo, I wouldn't quite go that far. It isn't bad, but it is no Focus.

Elessar

who_ru wrote: »

so much car snobbery going on in this thread.

Well if everybody else wasn't stupid they'd be driving 335i's, roish?!

Fair play to renault, they know what the market want and they give it. Cheap new cars and a good 5 year warranty, easily beating 90% of the competition in a recession.

I wonder how the new Golf is selling, 2 year warranty and no scrappage?

Stevie Dakota

Interesting, we have a 2006 Megane Estate diesel and a 2008 diesel Focus.

The Megane is quieter, more refined, rides better, has better paint work and panel alignment.

The Focus is more fun to drive, has fewer rattles and has been more reliable, although it is 2 years younger.

Put the Focus, Golf and Corolla at the same price as the Fluence and Renault would be back to selling small enough quantities of them. The main factor is the low price. If they can afford to sell them so cheap fair play to them, longterm I reckon it can't continue.

pajo1981

CompleteCar.ie wrote: »

Jaysus Pajo, I wouldn't quite go that far. It isn't bad, but it is no Focus.

The focus has a slightly more sophisticated suspension setup- the megane is better in every other way.

CompleteCarGuy

Elessar wrote: »

Well if everybody else wasn't stupid they'd be driving 335i's, roish?!

Fair play to renault, they know what the market want and they give it. Cheap new cars and a good 5 year warranty, easily beating 90% of the competition in a recession.

I wonder how the new Golf is selling, 2 year warranty and no scrappage?

Golf is the best-selling car in the country:

1 Volkswagen GOLF 3,898 4.5%
2 Renault MEGANE 3,848 4.44%
3 Ford FOCUS 3,765 4.34%
4 Ford FIESTA 3,658 4.22%
5 Toyota AVENSIS 3,539 4.08%
6 Nissan QASHQAI 3,469 4%
7 Renault CLIO 3,251 3.75%
8 Toyota YARIS 2,562 2.95%
9 Skoda OCTAVIA 2,500 2.88%
10 Volkswagen POLO 2,424 2.8%

CompleteCarGuy

pajo1981 wrote: »

The focus has a slightly more sophisticated suspension setup- the megane is better in every other way.

We will agree to disagree so

Leonard Hofstadter

Stevie Dakota wrote: »

I think the above is amazingly offensive. If the Fluence is the best seller then it represents a victory for common sense, based on the criteria I listed in my post. It shows people respond well to a product that meets their needs, how is that 'stupid'?

Good lord I seem to be rubbing everyone up the wrong way these days on this forum !

I'm sorry if I've offended anyone in expressing my (very unbiased ) opinion. I'll try to be nicer in future !

IMHO it's a white good on wheels. There is nothing about this car that makes me or anyone with even the faintest interest in cars say 'I want one'.

The previous Megane was extrememly unreliable but it looked great(I admired them for really trying to make something distinctive looking, the hatchback in particular was a brilliant looking car) and it was super safe. It did something different, it would have been a very competant car if it wasn't so poorly made.

This is every bit as dull as a Toyota Corolla, but at least a Corolla will be reliable, and the Toyota will be less resistant to depreciation.

Everyone has a five star safety rating these days, so that USP is gone too.

Finally I think even the most ardent of Toyota critics will acknowlege that Toyota's after sales support is by far and away the best in the country.

As I've said it deserves its success based on the Irish mindset. It fits the Irish mindset very well.

But that's a very different thing from saying it's a good car. Remember this is the country that specialises in buying the worst possible version of any car, we're the country that insists on buying the most underpowered model with the least amount of spec, I mean ffs plenty of people buy Aurises and Corollas in poverty Terra(ble) spec which still doesn't have a/c as standard:eek:!

The public buy lots of cars that are crap to put it bluntly, and I'm sorry for upsetting the Renault fanboys but this is exactly that. In my opinion of course;)!

CompleteCarGuy

RoverJames wrote: »

Put the Focus, Golf and Corolla at the same price as the Fluence and Renault would be back to selling small enough quantities of them. The main factor is the low price. If they can afford to sell them so cheap fair play to them, longterm I reckon it can't continue.

Agree with you there. The Renault success is all about price really. If this had happened in Celtic Tiger Ireland it might not really have mattered either. The Renault range is much better than it used to be, it was previously shocking. The Fluence really is a lot of car for the money so you can see why it is selling. It is closer in size to a Mondeo than a Focus really.

The difficulty with the Renault sales at the moment, is that residuals could be really badly hit long terms as nobody is paying list price for a new Renault now and evidence from what happened to Citroen in the past suggests that this could be bad in the future. Unless of course, you go back and continue to buy Renault, in which case the owner will always have to buy Renault, which Renault naturally will be pleased about!

Stevie Dakota

captainspeed wrote: »

It's a white good on wheels. There is nothing about this car that makes me or anyone with even the faintest interest in cars say 'I want one'.

Fair enough, but they are not trying to sell to the car to you or any other enthusiasts. If it's a white good it's a good one at the right price. And I don't believe it's price alone, the product has to impress, otherwise garbage like the Chevrolet Aveo would be selling like hot cakes.

Most car makers who want to be in business in a few years have to make cars people want to buy at a price they can afford. Job done Renault.

Leonard Hofstadter

CompleteCar.ie wrote: »

Agree with you there. The Renault success is all about price really. If this had happened in Celtic Tiger Ireland it might not really have mattered either. The Renault range is much better than it used to be, it was previously shocking. The Fluence really is a lot of car for the money so you can see why it is selling. It is closer in size to a Mondeo than a Focus really.

The difficulty with the Renault sales at the moment, is that residuals could be really badly hit long terms as nobody is paying list price for a new Renault now and evidence from what happened to Citroen in the past suggests that this could be bad in the future. Unless of course, you go back and continue to buy Renault, in which case the owner will always have to buy Renault, which Renault naturally will be pleased about!

I agree 100% with this.

I remember what happened with Citroen, and look at the fallout now. They have a really low market share now, and once they were a mainstream competitor.

Fiat and Alfas had really high market share once too, and look at where they are now.

I know that at the time Fiat and Alfa had the 'open book' pricing they made cars that lived up to the commonly used acronym for a Fiat but Citroens (apart from the C5) were making quite reliable cars the time they did the discounting.

gussieg

I really dont understand why undercutting their own list prices in this country could damage Renault. Sure dont they have enough money for their own TV channel

Stevie Dakota

Well in relation to depreciation of course the Renault will be worth less down the line, but it also cost a LOT less to buy in the first place. Either VW are creaming it or Renault are making nothing, but there is no way the Golf is worth €6K more than a Megane.

New Megane Royal 1.5DCI €15,000
New Golf Trendline 1.6TDi €21,500

RedorDead

CompleteCar.ie wrote: »

Renault have an aggressive 2-3 year plan for Ireland and they are out-muscling all the other brands when it comes to marketing and advertising budgets. I don't know where it is going to leave them when they stop their deals, but for the moment they don't seem overly worried about it.

And they are going to do it again next year - with or without the government getting involved. They will do their own scrappage scheme again.

See Citroen Ireland 2005-2007 for the potential effects

unkel

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

2007 was the height of the boom, we're in a recession

And just how bad it is here: 2009 vs 2007

Ireland - sales down by 70%
Most of the rest of Europe - sales down by around 20%

They're in a recession, we're in a meltdown.

Kashkai

Right, to set the record straight..................

I've had 12 cars to date of which 9 were Renaults. The other three were:
- an Astra (piece of junk and very unreliable - thanks again to the motorcycle cop who helped me push it off the road when I was blocking one side of Stephen's Green back in the late 80's )

- a Corolla (extremely bland car, wooden steering and parts cost a fortune - not very reliable either)

- Kia Sportage - brilliant car in all respects with the exception of its fuel economy which was dreadful (it was a 2 litre petrol model :eek:)

Now onto the Renaults. With the exception of my current car, all of them were reliable, cheap cars to run. However, my current car, a 5 door Megane hatch, is a piece of junk and I've found that it is possible to hate an inanimate object.

- It has rattled since bought new.
- Several ignition coils have gone.
- The window mechanism has failed twice, once in warranty and then the same window, i.e. the "repaired one" failed again out of warranty. 12 phonecalls to Renault eventually got them to agree to pay 75% of the cost of the repair.
- The front suspension bushing failed the NCT despite my never hitting a bump/pothole to casue this damage.
- It is a nightmare to replace a headlamp bulb due to the insane design of the light housing (you have to access it through the wheelarch and do gyrations to reach up into the headlamp housing using "feel" only as you can't fecking see it!!!!:mad:

My Dad has the saloon version and both his front windows failed, the ignition coils went and the card reader failed to read his keycard (even after the battery was replaced) and so he couldn't start the engine.

I know I shouldn't let one bad car put me off Renaults as my previous Megane ran trouble free for 9 years and 150,000 miles but this current car is the biggest heap of sh1te I've ever owned and the garage where I bought it from (hint - he likes to fire the would be apprentices) has the worst customer "service" I've ever encountered. Buy another Renault? Not even if they were giving them away, which they practically are.

Nonoperational

Stevie Dakota wrote: »

While it would not be my cup of tea either it's hard to argue with. Spacious, well made, cheap, well equipped, 5 year warranty (with upgrade), frugal, cheap to run. A very timely car if you ask me, on paper we should all be driving them!

Yep and that's why it's doing so well. But I still couldn't buy one. Saying that I'd recommend one to my Mam!

Yakult

captainspeed wrote: »

You can't exactly begrudge their success, they've identified something people wanted, offered it and have done extremely well out of it, for now at least.

It was hard to take your post serious after reading that. It made the rest of your post hot air.