Official figures indicate a strong start to 2007 for new car sales, with the number of new cars licensed up 19% on the same month last year to 29,296. This is the best January figure on record, even beating the 2000 figure of just over 20,000.
According to the Central Statistics Office, second-hand car sales were up 28.6%. The total number of vehicles licensed in January also rose by more than 20% compared with January last year.
A breakdown showed that sales of cars in the 2.0-2.4 litre engine size category more than trebled in the year to just over 1,000. Sales of cars above 2.4 litres grew by almost 20% to 1,806.
The CSO figures cover the number of cars and other vehicles taxed for use on the road.
Earlier this month, figures from the motor industry showed an 8% rise in January, but these figures include cars registered by garages but not yet sold or taxed.
