Irish buying bigger engines

What's the news?
It seems our phones are not the only things getting bigger; our engines are too. The latest data released by Cartell.ie shows that the humble 1.4-litre is no longer the engine of choice, as most buyers are now opting for a 1.6-litre or bigger. In fact the 2.0-litre engine, long regarded as a 'big' engine in Ireland, is the second most popular choice.

Year to date 1.6-litre engines account for 27 per cent of all private registrations with 2.0-litre engines making up 19 per cent. This data would appear to fly in the face of recessionary 'downsizing', but the truth is the change has been spurred by legislation.

Since the change to emissions based taxation the market has been predominantly diesel based and, while a larger capacity than the old favourite - the 1.4 - in the diesel world a 1.6-litre engine is considered small.

Jeff Aherne, Director of Cartell.ie says: "These are interesting results: while the overall picture shows new car sales are still down on pre-recession patterns, it's interesting that those that are entering the market are opting for a larger engine size. These larger diesel engines are more fuel efficient and produce less CO₂ and are therefore cheaper to tax than the majority of petrol vehicles."

Cartell's data shows that 79 per cent of the top five engine sizes registered in 2013 were diesel compared to 32 percent in 2007, the year the 1.4-litre was king. Combined, 1.6- and 2.0-litre engines account for 44 per cent of the market (approx. 35,000) cars this year.

Anything else?
Another area if growth according to the Cartell data is hybrids with 63 per cent more sold in 2013 than in 2011.

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