Surge in new cars being licensed

The number of new private cars licensed for the first time in February increased by 37.6% compared with the corresponding month last year, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

The CSO said 21,173 new private cars were licensed for the first time last month, and that 5,077 used (imported) private cars were also licensed, representing a rise of 9.7% on the same month last year.

The February figures show that a strong start to the year by the auto retail industry is continuing. Between January and February, 48,279 new private cars were licensed, up 36% compared with the same period last year, while the number of used cars licensed in the same period rose by 3.5% compared with January/February 2015.