Roads keep busy as car sales grow

Irish roads continue to become busier as new figures show that car sales in Ireland are over twice the rate of the European new car market.

There has been no sign of a drop in demand for new vehicles on Irish roads even though there has been a threat of rising petrol prices.
Sales of new cars for the first five months of 2006 rose by 5.7%, compared to the European average of 2.7%. In total, 130,480 new cars were registered before the end of June with roads becoming increasingly busy.
Some vehicles have gained more than others. Sales of Fiat and Volkswagen in particular have grown as have Mercedes, BMW and Toyota. Other car manufacturers such as Opel/Vauxhall and Peugeot have had a fall in sales.

Sales of the SUV models across Europe are still strong even though they have been condemned for their effect on the environment. Sales of SUVs up until Monday, July 24th were up 10%. Overall they make up nearly 7% of all new vehicles sold in Europe.