There were 21,313 new cars sold last month, an increase of 314 on January 2011 (20,999), 3,057 of which were bought under the Government Scrappage Scheme which ended last June. January is crucial for the motor industry as 50 per cent of new car sales occur in the first quarter of the year.
SIMI's Alan Nolan said despite the strong start, they are still fairly cautious about the outlook for the year, predicting a fall of around 15 per cent in new car sales for the full year which would deliver a market in the region of 76,000 new car sales for 2012.
He added that 'we have to be positive about the start and the Commercial Vehicle Sector has also started well with HGV (64 per cent up) and LCV (17 per cent) sales both up on last year'.
