Sales of commercial vehicles, as well as private cars, are booming in the Republic, and the graph for the two can be seen as an economic barometer, ICC Bank said yesterday.

Car sales for 1996 are expected to rise to a record 113,000, a jump of almost 30 per cent, the bank said in a trade publication, while commercial vehicle sales may reach 19,000, the highest level in a decade and a rise of 18 per cent.