Just under 16,500 new cars were sold in the first week of 2005 according to unofficial figures obtained by Motors this week.
The figure of 16,334 represents an increase of 2,275 vehicles on the same week last year, or a bonus of 16.2 per cent in one of the year's most crucial periods for motor manufacturers.
But while the news of the increase in opening-week sales will be regarded as good news by the industry, the increases will be greeted with enthusiasm only in certain quarters.
Most notable among those is Toyota, which recorded sales of 2,444 units, up 311 on the same period last year, for a 14.6 per cent increase.
Citroën though rose by 24.8 per cent to claim a 2.7 per cent market share. Sister company Peugeot also made gains, selling 1,033 cars, a rise of 514 on last year for a massive 99 per cent leap in sales to claim 6.3 per cent of the market.
Also up significantly were some niche marques, most significantly those from Korea.
Kia recorded a 150 per cent increase in sales on the first week last year, selling 95 vehicles, up from 57 for the same period last year.
GM's rebranding of Daewoo as Chevrolet appears to be having some effect on that Korean marque too, with sales of 396 cars, up from 213 last, a boost of 116 per cent.
However, those remain niche operators, accounting jointly for just 3 per cent of the overall first week sales.
But whereas of the major players, Toyota built on last year to claim 15 per cent of the total sales, other major manufacturers took a beating in the rush for the first of the 2005 registrations.
Fiat were hit hardest, dropping 54.2 per cent on last year, selling just 114 cars, down from 249 in 2004.
Renault, too, suffered. The French manufacturer sold 1,133 passenger cars in week one compared with 1,264 last year, down 10 per cent for a market share of 6.9 per cent.
Rover/MG sales also dropped, selling just 61 cars compared with 98 last year - this represents a fall-off of 37.8 per cent.
First-week sales are a volatile period for car makers as a flurry of purchasing takes place in the opening period of the new year, but despite the volatility the sales give some clue as how the year may shape up.
Toyota was top of the tree in sales terms last year, with a 2004 total of 20,150 cars sold. That pattern looks like being repeated this year judging by the Japanese marque's early returns.
Ford finished second last year, backed up by Volkswagen, Nissan and Renault, but while Ford again saw a growth in the first week and VW increased by a large margin, Nissan's increase was marginal while Renault lost sales.