The dawn of 2013 heralded a fresh start for many. A new year and a chance to put economic troubles to one side. It also presented the ideal opportunity for the superstitious types amongst us to point out the latter two numbers. 13. Unlucky for some.
However businesses are clearly not letting something as simple as a number prevent them from investing in new vehicles.
Land Rover, for example, sold 82% more light commercial vehicles in the first three months of this year compared to 2012. Hyundai, on the other hand, increased their sales by a whopping 321%. That's impressive by anyone's standards. Also, if you're wondering, the increased sight of Land Rover Discoverys on Irish roads is the result of a 101% increase in unit sales between January and March.
In an effort to stimulate the market, the Government has introduced a second registration period in July. This is likely to further increase consumer confidence in purchasing new vehicles as the year progresses, particularly if they are worried about the number 13.
The tools we offer at Transpoco to track fuel consumption, long-term reliability and, crucially, cost effectiveness for any business which relies on them.
Heavy goods vehicle sales are performing particularly well this year. February and March have seen rises in overall sales of 16% and 39%, respectively, when compared with 2012. Scania, Volvo and Isuzu have seen significant increases in sales for their most popular models with counties including Dublin, Limerick and Wexford receiving many more vehicles in the first three months of this year than they did for the same period last year.
There are clearly more vehicles on our roads. What's more, businesses are increasingly keen to use new technology in order to assess the effectiveness of their new investments and of the people behind the wheel. The heaviest of HGVs (14,000kg upwards) have shown particularly strong growth in 2013 with a rise of nearly 60%. Such vehicles and their drivers will therefore be glad of the fleet management and driver safety improvements our vehicle tracking systems offer.
The stats quoted are courtesy of the Irish Motor industry. Visit http://www.beepbeep.ie/stats to find out more.
