New figures today show that 6,333 new cars were sold in the month of July compared to 3,748 the same time last year.
The Society of the Irish Motor Industry says that a total of 74,111 new cars have been sold so far this year, a 47% increase on the first seven months of last year.
Of the new cars sold so far this year, 32% were petrol while 64% were diesel. Just 1% were hybrid cars.
So far this year the Ford Focus has been the best selling model, with 3,331 such cars being sold. A total of 3,275 Volkswagen Golf were bought in the first seven months of the year, while 3,157 Ford Fiestas were also sold.
'Clearly the trend in new car sales is continuing with a steady increase in sales month on month,' commented SIMI's director general Alan Nolan
'It is very positive that the improved sales are continuing. This is hugely important for businesses and employment in our sector as the fragility of the recovery has been underlined recently with a number of dealership closures,' he added.
