New car registrations up in March

Date: 5/4/2012

There was an increase in new car volumes in March.

Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) revealed sales of 372,835 new 12-plate registrations last month - an increase of 1.8 per cent on the total for February.

During the first quarter of 2012 as a whole, volumes rose by 0.9 per cent, while private registrations went up by 7.4 per cent in March - their best monthly increase in two years.

Chief Executive of the SMMT Paul Everitt welcomed the results, explaining the market performed even better than expected last month.

"Domestic demand for new cars is showing signs of recovery with private buyers increasingly returning to take advantage of a wide range of excellent products," he stated.

There has also been a growth in diesel engine purchases this year, as registrations went up by 4.9 per cent in February compared with January, meaning the vehicles had a 53.9 per cent share of the market.

Posted by Mary Treen