A total of 80 per cent of car dealers with websites believe the Internet led to increased sales, according to a survey conducted by www.autofinder.ie.
In the past year, the number of car dealers with websites has increased by 11 per cent to 33 per cent.
A further 65 per cent of them now have e-mail compared to 48 per cent last year. The study also shows there has been a 6 per cent growth in automotive Internet use for the month of January, with Internet sales predicted to double again this year.
"Our goal is to bring consumers the best solutions on the web," said Mr Andrew Conlan-Trant, marketing and products director of Esat Fusion, who produce the content for the site.
"We believe that Autofinder's car-buying service will give users a high-quality, convenient service on a nationwide basis".