The number of new and second hand cars licensed in March has fallen sharply from the same month last year.
New car registrations fell by 26.5 per cent in March compared to March 2000, according to figures released today by the Central Statistics Office.
Monthly registration of second hand cars in March decreased by 39.9 per cent on last year and are down 36.5 per cent in the first three months of the year.
Though 2000 was an exceptional year due to the popularity of "00" registrations, the longer trend confirms the decline in private car registrations. In March 1999 23,411 new private cars hit the road compared to 22,147 this year.
Of the total of 22,147 new cars registered in March, the leading make was Opel (2,509) closely followed by Ford (2,502) and Totota (2,352).