The Motoring Industry & The Recession

**Fr Damo** · 28/01/2009, 7:52 AM

30% of business enjoyed last year (Jan) and at reduced margins plus some losses on second hand car stock? That equals closures.

I posted previously we'd do 60,000 nationally new cars this year. I stand by it. Some idot from the car industry said on Saturday that they are hopeful of 100,000 with a pick up in the latter half of the year. a pick up in the latter half of the year in any year has never happened due to our reg system. When people throw out this bull it just gets on my tits. ISME are the same ( Don't know how Mr Fielding became their voice ) and the clowns who are in real estate always throw out "hopefully" and "Interest Rates Reduction" in the same sentence blissfully unaware that were f***ed. It pains me to say it but.....

**dahamsta** · 28/01/2009, 11:54 AM

I've seen just 2 09 cars. The first was a Massey. The second was a manky hatchback just 2 days ago, with a reg under 1500.

adam

**pineapple stu** · 28/01/2009, 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by dahamsta

with a reg under 1500.

C reg I assume?

**dahamsta** · 28/01/2009, 1:23 PM

Yeah. I remember registrations in the tens of thousands in previous years, usually far earlier.

**Fr Damo** · 30/01/2009, 7:39 PM

Taken from rte.ie 30th Jan

A management consultant and advisor to the motor industry has warned that if current sales figures continue, up to 300 motor dealerships will close with a loss of up to 20,000 jobs over the coming months.
Pearce Flannery of consultancy group Pragmatica warned that the situation in the automotive sector is untenable given the radical drop in the sale of new cars.
'The Irish motor market is currently operating with a 68% decrease in sales and is facing unprecedented competition in the form of used imports. The industry is being decimated and will implode if the current situation continues.'

That is 10 Dells or say 100 builders going wallop and not aword about it other than a bit in Drivetime with John Murray this evening.

After one months travelling around the country but mainly eastern parts I have seen less than ten new jam jars.

**pete** · 01/02/2009, 8:32 PM

Originally Posted by Fr Damo

That is 10 Dells or say 100 builders going wallop and not aword about it other than a bit in Drivetime with John Murray this evening.

After one months travelling around the country but mainly eastern parts I have seen less than ten new jam jars.

When people lose their jobs they don't buy new cars or houses. The only way to get people to buy cars is to get more people working especially in export companies as that brings new money into the country.

The state cannot offer sweet heart deals to every business in trouble.

**osarusan** · 01/02/2009, 10:24 PM

Originally Posted by pete

The state cannot offer sweet heart deals to every business in trouble.

Absolutely. I think Waterford Wedgwood is an example of the govt. demonstrating this. How the state decides who to bail out is an interesting question though.

**Fr Damo** · 02/02/2009, 6:58 PM

I wasn't suggesting the state should do anything, just pointing out that if you consider Limerick was destroyed (some commentors views) by Dells announcement, and the tale of dole Qs getting longer (initally by tradesmen and women losing construction related jobs) paints a truely shocking picture of whare we are.

Exports are the obvious one to get us back, but do you honestly see us growing our exports over the next 5 years?? I don't.

**dahamsta** · 02/02/2009, 9:06 PM

Imagine how much more stable Ireland would be if FF and the PDs had supported indigenous business that many years ago, and more. Like they were asked, by people like me.

**pete** · 02/02/2009, 10:49 PM

Originally Posted by Fr Damo

Exports are the obvious one to get us back, but do you honestly see us growing our exports over the next 5 years?? I don't.

Without exports we are recycling the money already inside the country. Exports don't have to be physical. Irish companies competing or selling abroad also need a lot of supporting domestic suppliers.

January 2009 Registrations
Passenger cars down 66% or 31k units
Commercial vehicles down 80% or almost 7k units

**SolitudeRed** · 03/02/2009, 2:48 AM

In Galway I've only seen five 09 reg cars and one of them was in a car dealership! Its certainly very noticeable that car sales are way down just by paying attention to the traffic. Is this a return to the good old days of before the 90s when people only bought a new car every ten years!

**the 12 th man** · 05/02/2009, 5:32 PM

Didn't think the figures would be this low for Jan 09
Compared to Jan 08 results below

Land Rover -94.1%

Saab -93.9%
Mercedes -82.1%
BMW -77.4%
Toyota -64%
February is tradionally worse after the rush

for new regs in Jan so god help the figures at the end of this month..

I think new regs overall are not as high as the indicated 30% and someone is bluffing the numbers,it feels more like down 80-90% overall

**pineapple stu** · 06/02/2009, 8:48 AM

Originally Posted by the 12 th man

I think new regs overall are not as high as the indicated 30% and someone is bluffing the numbers,it feels more like down 80-90% overall

09-D-62xx is on the road now. I'd say demo sales are holding the numbers up; there's a higher proportion of new cars than usual still in garages, which is partly why people aren't seeing them about on the road.

**Fr Damo** · 06/02/2009, 5:22 PM

Garage friend of mine had two cars cancelled this week becuase of the pension levy, one army lad and a nurse have about had 200 a month taken out of their take home pay and that was the money being used to buy the car. So the government saved 2500k by getting the individual to make a bigger contribution to their pension but lost probably 8k on each car in terms of VRT and VAT!! mmmmmmmmmm

**pineapple stu** · 08/02/2009, 7:24 PM

But sure that's only relevant if every public sector employee had been looking to buy a new car.

**Fr Damo** · 09/02/2009, 12:18 PM

True but I though it was a valid point he made to me.

The levy will cost employees 800m euro i.e taken out of nett pay, the point I am making is that this money is being taken out of the conomy, at least until the pensions are cashed, as is being missed.

**pineapple stu** · 09/02/2009, 12:23 PM

True, but that's not exactly news, in fairness. The Government needs the money to pay off debts, so it's a Catch 22.

Up to 7000 in Dublin, compared to 20000 this day last year.

**pete** · 09/02/2009, 2:34 PM

Saw an 09 D Range Rover so someone still has cash to spend.

Have the UK government given a bail out to car manufacturers? I know they introduced scrappage scheme in Germany but because they buy so many domestic cars that will also benefit their car manufacturing industry.

Maybe Irish government will introduce scrappage scheme but can't see what else they would do that would make sense. SIMI protests about foreign imports don't make any sense when their own members are importing in large numbers.

I think I might have seen as many imports (yellow reg & no tax disc?) as 09 reg cars at this stage.

**pineapple stu** · 09/02/2009, 2:49 PM

Originally Posted by pete

I think I might have seen as many imports (yellow reg & no tax disc?)

Don't think so?

An import would have to be registered and taxed in Ireland on arrival into the country. Green reg and no tax would be an unregistered garage stock car; assume that's not what you're seeing?

**pete** · 10/02/2009, 5:35 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Don't think so?

An import would have to be registered and taxed in Ireland on arrival into the country. Green reg and no tax would be an unregistered garage stock car; assume that's not what you're seeing?

I think VRT approval can take up to 2 weeks so I guess can't get insurance/tax discs until new plates have been confirmed?

Seen a few yellow plates with no discs on front windows.