The number of new cars registered in February fell 63.8 per cent as compared to the same month a year ago, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Overall, 8,795 new cars were licensed last month compared to 24,290 in February 2008.
The total number of all vehicles registered in February 2009 was 18,609, down 52.1 per cent on the 38,879 vehicles licensed for the same month a year ago.
The number of new vehicles licensed dlast month fell 65.4 per cent from 31,609 to 10,926.
Among car manufacturers, Toyota was was the most popular with 1,755 new cars registered, followed by Ford with 1,239, Volkswagen with 916, Nissan with 765 and Opel with 574 cars licensed during February 2009.
According to alternative figures issued by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), new car sales for the first two months of this year fell by 65.3 per cent on the same period last year. New car registrations for February were just 8,950, compared to 24,119 for the same month last year, while overall sales for the first two months were down to 24,835 from 71,569 in 2008.
Sales of commercial vehicles, often considered a bellwether for economic activity, weree down by 84 per cent to just 838 for the first two months of the year.
