‘Perfect storm’ sees Japanese second-hand car imports surge in Ireland
A Dublin-based importer of Japanese second-hand cars claims that a “perfect storm” of Brexit, ever increasing new car prices across Europe, and Irish consumers’ more stringent demands for value for money are all contributing to the phenomenal growth in sales of second-hand cars imported here from Japan.
According to data from Cartell, Japanese imports have increased nearly tenfold over the last decade in Ireland, from 2,321 in 2014 to 21,716 in 2023. That figure has grown to 22,482 vehicles for the year-to-date in 2024.
Japan is now the number one source for second-hand imports in Ireland, displacing the UK which in the last 20 years saw huge increases in imported vehicles here. However, that all changed in 2019 when the number of UK imports peaked and then witnessed a sustained decline ever since, in large part, due to Brexit rules kicking in.
Cóilín Garvey, sales manager at the Automatic Motor Car Centre (AMCC.ie) said: “Brexit, with the mounds of extra bureaucracy and time involved in bringing in cars from the UK, is the number one reason which helped to boost the number of cars imported from Japan.
“Perhaps, in those early years, customers here may have been a bit wary of purchasing such second-hand Japanese cars as they were an unknown quantity, but very quickly motorists here cottoned on to the fact that Japanese imports are very well specced cars, much better than the average equivalent here in Ireland.”
Garvey added: “Over time, the Japanese imports have proved to be super reliable and that is down to the fact that, in general, Japanese motorists look after their cars better than Irish drivers do and what’s more, Japan has one of the most advanced road infrastructures in the world, that all helps to improve the longevity of these cars.
“Another factor in the attractiveness of Japanese imports is that the models we bring in are generally packed with the latest technologies and that helps to make the cars top performers in terms of safety and fuel efficiency.”
According to Garvey, around a quarter of the cars AMCC sells go to retail customers and the majority find a home at second-hand car dealers across the island of Ireland.
“For our trade customers, we are thrilled to announce our exclusive partnership with NextGear Capital, the largest provider of stock funding facilities for used vehicle dealers,” he added.
Ireland manager of NextGear Capital, Peter Molloy explained: “We are delighted to be partnering with Cóilín and the team at AMCC.ie to bring our expertise and tried and tested stock funding models for the benefit of AMCC’s car dealer customers.
“Our exclusive deal with AMCC.ie marks a significant milestone for the Irish market, as we are the first vehicle stock funder in Ireland to allow both registered and non-registered Japanese imports to be added to dealers’ stocking plans.
“We provide a cost effective, flexible and simple way for our car dealer customers to buy and manage their stock with 100 percent of the purchase price or market value funded.
“Ultimately with a NextGear Capital Stocking Plan, our car dealer customers can increase, upgrade or diversify their stock, helping them to grow their business in a profitable and sustainable way.”