New car sales rose by more than 9 per cent last month, surprising many in the motor industry who had expected a downturn because of the ending of the scrappage scheme, writes Andrew Hamilton.
The January figures show that 22,219 new cars were registered compared with 20,375 for the same month last year. Industry observers now believe that if this buoyancy is maintained, the total market for 1998 could be well over the 115,000 mark.
Last year new registrations went over 136,000, boosted by an unprecedented demand from last-minute scrappage customers in the final months of 1997.
