The car industry in Britain is performing better than any year in over a decade, after sales in February were stronger than expected for what is usually a quiet month.
Motorists generally wait for the new registration plate to come out in March, but this February new car sales were 8.4 percent above the same month last year. New car registrations totaled 83,395, figures from trade body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) revealed.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, commented: "February is typically one of the quietest months of the year, ahead of March's plate change, but this positive performance is encouraging and puts the sector in a good position for the coming 12 months."
The results are thought to be due to a combination of consumer confidence, attractive finance packages and low interest rates.
Last year new car registrations reached a record 2.6m, exceeding expectations and demonstrating the strong growth of the UK industry, despite the VW emissions scandal in October.
The demand for new cars has in part been the result of manufacturers targeting UK buyers due to the British economy being stronger than most of Europe at the moment, making sales in sterling more attractive. Competition for sales between manufacturers has also led to very good deals for those in the market for a new car.
Many industry experts have given up on trying to predict how long the sales growth may continue, after their previous projections proved to be very pessimistic.
The Ford Fiesta remains the UK's best-selling car with 4,507 sold in February, while the second most popular car was the VW Golf with 2,574 sales.
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