Car sales soar 50% in July thanks to 142 plate

The introduction of the 142 number plate has seen car sales soar by more than 50% in July compared with the same month last year.

Figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show the number of new private cars licensed for the first time rose by 50.8% to 14,037 last month.

Used (imported) cars licensed for the first time were up 6.4% to 4,879 for the same period.