The number of new cars licensed for the first time in the first three months rose by 14.3 per cent to 39,484, although March recorded little or no growth on the same month last year.
According to figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the number of new cars licensed - taxed for the first time – last month was 12,390, up just 0.1 per cent on March 2010. At the same time the licensing of new goods vehicles fell to 1,179, a drop of 11.4 per cent on March last year.
The CSO figures differ significantly from those for new car registrations, which were recorded at 47,974 for the first three months of this year.
The difference can be attributed to a delay in some new owners taxing their cars in the days after purchase, along with cars that have been registered by dealers or car hire firms but not yet on the road.
The CSO figures show that Toyota tops the list of new licensed cars so far this year with 6,119, followed by Volkswagen with 4,599, Ford with 4,128, Renault with 3,771, and Nissan with 2,992.
At the premium end of the market, BMW recorded the strongest performance so far this year, with 1,673 new cars licensed, followed by Audi with 1,253, Mercedes with 932 and Volvo with 445.
The consumer focus on lower emissions and reduced motor tax is evidenced in the fact that 90 per cent of all new private cars licensed so far this year fall into the two lowest tax bands, with emissions of less than 141g/km and annual motor tax of either €104 or €156.
Some 9,380 used private cars were imported and licensed for the first time during the first three month. The main marques involved were Ford with 1,501 used private cars imported and licensed for the first time here, and Volkswagen with 1,357.