August car sales soar by 20%

In a boost to the motor trade, the number of new cars licensed last month jumped by more than 20% compared to last year.

According to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office, some 4,504 new cars were licensed in August — up 20.6% from the same period in 2012. Imported used cars licensed also grew by just over 48% to 4,422 for the same period.

The most popular make of car in terms of new cars licensed in August was Volkswagen (563), followed by Toyota (465), Ford (412), and Hyundai (325).