New statistics from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) have shown the top-selling cars in Ireland for the year to date. The figures also showed that new 152 registrations for July of this year were up by 48% on the same period last year for 142 registrations. Topping the list of the most popular car makes in Ireland was Volkswagen, who took a 12.3% share of the market. On top of that, the Golf continues to be the firm favourite for Irish consumers too, with 4,860 registrations to date. Meanwhile the Ford Focus (3,971) and Nissan Qashqai (3,763) were also among the most popular makes in Ireland. Also featured in the big sellers were the Skoda Octavia, Hyundai IX35 and Toyota Corolla. Elsewhere, the cost of motoring was adjudged to have decreased in some cases, however the report also acknowledged that the cost of insurance has risen since this time 12 months ago. Speaking about the report, SIMI President Mark Brogan stated: “This is the third year of the dual registration plate which has been a real success, allowing the industry to better structure its business year. “We now have sales occurring in the second half of the year at rates never seen before as consumers have embraced the opportunity to purchase their new car in July.” More information about the report can be found here.