There has been a significant decrease in the number of cars registered in the State in the first half of this year when compared to the same period last year, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office this morning.
The figures, which are used as a barometer for general economic performance, show new car sales falling from a high of 113,038 in the first five months of 2001 to 91,534 - a fall of 7.9 per cent - in the corresponding period this year.
Close to 160,000 new cars were sold in the same period of 2000 at the height of the economic boom.
Month-on-month, new car sales fell 3.4 per cent in May compared with the same month last year.
Second-hand car sales for the month fell by 16.8 per cent when compared with the same month last year.
