Alan Nolan, Director General of SIMI says they expected May to slow a little in advance of the new '142 plate' in July.
"While the increase isn't as large as previous months, demand has remained strong, attributable to a more affordable marketplace for motorists and better availability of retail finance options."
He said "June is likely to be a quiet month with July being a crucial period for the Motor Industry. The second year of the new number plate, new car enquiries in dealerships are very strong at the moment and should translate into a busy July."
Figures from SIMI show new car sales are up 24 percent on 2013; and some 64,031 cars were sold v 51,556 in 2013 (January-May).
The top three selling car brands so far this year are Volkswagen, Toyota and Ford; the top three selling models so far this year are the VW Golf, Nissan Qashqai and Ford Focus.
