132 Number Plate hits the road in Ireland

  • 10 Jul 2013
  • in New Cars
  • by Shane Teskey

132 Number Plate hits the road in Ireland
This month saw the introduction of a shiny new '132' number plate in Ireland. Has the new initiative helped our motor industry or should we just be happy that the 'luck of the Irish' still comes as standard on our cars?
It started off as a bit of a laugh with some suggesting it was the 'lucky Irish' protecting their interests by removing the dreaded Unlucky 13 from the front of a car.
But no -

" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">it's nothing to do with the number 13. - Honest!
Despite some much needed optimism for the sector it was an under-whelming start for the new plate. Sales recorded a 20% <b>drop</b> year-on-year for the first six months.
June was excruciating for the industry with an unprecedented fall of 73% in the number of new cars rolling out of showrooms.
However it soon became obvious that June's sales were merely postponed and not lost after all. The first day's trading in July under the new 132 plate posted an impressive 1,927 units - compared to just 1 on the same day last July!
Impressive, although it should be noted that July 1st last year was a Sunday, when many dealerships would have been closed.
One More Thing: Devil in the detail for car sales
Forget about the lure of the styling or the roar of the engine: Irish motorists still seem fixated on a car's numberplate. Much was made ... 8 days on and sales are still looking good with a 762% increase for the same period last year.
If we can do another 4,400 units before the end of the month we will have exceeded last years' total of 10,746 registrations (that's the total for June &amp; July last year) and registered a success for the new number plate...