Figures from the Central Statistics Office show a near 40% drop in the number of new cars sold in June compared to the same month last year as consumers delayed purchases until July.
The CSO said that 3,293 new cars were licensed last month, down 39.9% on the 5,481 licensed in June 2012.
Earlier this week, SIMI said that more new cars were sold in Ireland on July 1 than on the first working day of the year - which is normally one of the busiest for sales.
Over, 1,900 new cars were registered with the historic '132' number plate on July 1. That is compared to almost 1,500 on the first working day of January.
The CSO also said today that the number of new goods vehicles licensed saw a drop of 25.4% in June compared to the same time last year.
It noted that of the 3,293 new cars sold last month, 26.5% were petrol and 72.7% were diesel.
The most popular brand of new car sold last month was Volkswagen, followed by Toyota, Ford and Skoda.
