According to Derek McDermott of Bank of Ireland Finance there hasn’t been a “normal” car market in Ireland since 2016. In an interview featured on the following page McDermott points out that the fallout from Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, followed by the Covid pandemic and on to the current war in Ukraine, means that there hasn’t been a stable economy in which to predict trends in the car market for fully six years and counting.
Supply chain issues connected to Covid as well as the conflict in Eastern Europe continue to stymie car makers in their desire to meet demand for their products from consumers watching their cars age in their driveways.
While that fact along with rising interest rates of late might be expected to temper the enthusiasm of the car buying public, news of slowing inflation as we went to press and the fact that that car in the driveway continues to hold strong residual value means that demand is likely to exceed supply again in 2023.The modern consumer is better informed than ever before and thanks to swifter financial systems often able to move quicker when the right car is available.
There has never been more choice in the market and as the car makers continue to transition to hybrid and fully electric range offerings, important decisions are being made in households across Ireland right now.In this 231 edition of Drive – New Car Buyer’s Guide we highlight the best of the new and updated models on offer.
As ever, we’ve done our best to ensure that prices are correct at time of press but check with your local dealer for any updated pricing or special offers.
Declan Quigley
DRIVE Magazine Editor
PUBLISHING INFORMATION
PUBLISHER & MANAGING DIRECTOR: Colm Burns. EDITOR: Declan Quigley. PHOTO EDITOR: Georgie Francis. CONTRIBUTORS: Anthony Conlon, Martin, McCarthy, Simon Ives. PRODUCTION MANAGER: Andrew Greeley. PROOF READING: Olif Karrington. PRINTING: Johnswood Press. DISTRIBUTION: Newspread.
The entire content of the Drive 231 New Car Buyer’s Guide is copyright 2023 SilverCloud Media, and may not be reproduced in part or in full without the permission of the publisher SilverCloud Media