New car sales powered ahead in the new Y-number plate month of March 2001, according to latest figures.
Fuelled by a big rise in private purchases, the number of new cars sold last month reached 408,024 - a 1.5 per cent rise on the March 2000 total, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
SMMT chief executive Christopher Macgowan said: "This clearly indicates the turnaround in the UK car market."
Since 1999, registration plates have changed twice a year - in March and September - rather than the annual change in August.
The March 2001 total was, therefore, a record for the month and was boosted by a 17.2 per cent increase in sales to private buyers.
The number of new cars sold in the first three months of 2001 now stands at 675,083 - a 2.2 per cent increase on the January-March 2000 total.
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