If you are the driver of a new Fiat Punto, you have probably noticed you are not the only one on the road. The Punto was the most popular model sold in 1999 and so far this year it is holding the number one spot. The motor industry has never had it so good, with the number of vehicles licensed for the first time last year up almost 23 per cent on 1998, according to data from the Central Statistics Office yesterday. That was the highest level on record but so far this year sales have outpaced 1999 levels by 40 per cent.

Mr Cyril McHugh, chief executive of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, is safe in his prediction that this year will undoubtedly be the best the motor industry has ever had. He estimates sales of 240,000 by the end of the year.

Because registration plates are year identified there is always a pull to the first quarter of the year, but sales of the Punto to the end of May 2000 have almost caught up with the 12-month figure for last year.

The next most popular models sold last year were Opel Astra and Toyota Corolla. These have been replaced in the top three so far this year by Ford Focus and Nissan Micra.

There is no doubt that the introduction of the national car test (NCT) has led to an expansion of the small car market generally.

There has been a continuing decline in the share of the second-hand imports market as more people can afford new cars.

At the money-no-object end of the scale, there is a 12-month waiting list for the Mercedes CL600 and CL500 which have a price tag of £145,000 (€184,110).