Only 24 new cars sold in NI as UK sales hit lowest since 1946

There were just 24 sales during April, according to figures compiled by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The collapse was not unexpected, as car show rooms right across the UK were closed during April, however, the scale has been phenomenal.

In the same month last year there were 4,060 new cars sold in Northern Ireland, so the mere 24 sales equates to a drop of around 99%.

Across the UK as a whole only 4,321 new cars were registered – the lowest monthly level since 1946.

The SMMT said that the majority of new car sales in the UK were companies buying new fleets, and that the cars were most likely to have been ordered before the lockdown.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “With the UK’s showrooms closed for the whole of April, the market’s worst performance in living memory is hardly surprising.

“These figures, however, still make for exceptionally grim reading, not least for the hundreds of thousands of people whose livelihoods depend on the sector.

“A strong new car market supports a healthy economy and as Britain starts to plan for recovery, we need car retail to be in the vanguard.”

Mr Hawes said vehicle manufacturers are working to develop a way to resume production while maintaining a safe environment, and added: “Safely restarting this most critical sector and revitalising what will, inevitably, be subdued demand will be key to unlocking manufacturing and accelerating the UK’s economic regeneration.”