Official statistics released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry show new car registrations in April were up 21 per cent (9,471 ) on the same month last year.
So far this year new car sales are up 28 per cent (74,001 ) on the corresponding period last year.
Light Commercials Vehicles were up by 59 per cent (2,088 ) compared to (1,316 ) April 2014, and are up 60 per cent (12,152 ) year to date.
While Heavy Commercial Vehicle registrations are up 24 per cent for the month of April (235 ) 2015 compared with April (189 ) 2014, HCVs are down seven per cent year to date.
Commenting on the figures, Brian Cooke, deputy director general SIMI, says: “The increase in registrations continue to demonstrate improvements in the marketplace. The strong growth in retail sales highlights consumer confidence around the country with every county experiencing an increase in sales.
“Longford has seen the strongest growth in sales with 46 per cent, while Wexford is some way behind the trend with the lowest growth rate of just 10 per cent.
"LCV registrations continue to show improvements in the business environment as many companies are starting to invest in the renewal of their fleets. HGV registrations year to date continue to remain down overall, but we have seen some improvement for the month of April, which will hopefully continue as the year progresses.”
