The number of new private cars licensed in January this year was down 17.8% on the same month last year, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office.
The January figure was 16,528, compared with 20,100 in January 2000. The total for second-hand cars fell by 32.5% in the same period. The total number of all new vehicles licensed dropped by 13.4% to 20,622.
It has been suggested that sales in January 2000 were exceptionally high because of a rush to obtain 00 registered cars.
