CSO reports 4.7% increase in new car registrations

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has reported a 4.7% increase in the number of new private cars registered in Ireland last year compared with 2003.

The CSO said almost 150,000 new private cars were registered throughout 2004, compared to just under 143,000 in 2003.

It said just over 2,000 of these cars were registered in December, with Toyota, Volkswagen, Ford, Opel and Nissan the most popular models.