New car sales set to roar past 100,000 as market rises 30%

New car sales are roaring ahead and are set to “comfortably exceed” 100,000 this year for the first time since the economic crash, as purchases soar by almostone third.

New statistics released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry show there were 29,948 new car registrations last month — up 31% compared to January 2014.

The group now expects sales for 2015 to “comfortably exceed” 100,000 at the end of the year for the first time since 2008. Light commercial vehicles, currently up by 70% (4,839) in January, are expected to exceed 20,000 also for the first time in six years. HGV (heavy goods vehicle) registrations are down 37%.