Rover car sales slumped last month as the effects of the new twice-yearly registration plate change bit for the first time.

As buyers waited for the introduction of T-registration this month, overall UK car sales in February fell by 52.6 per cent, compared with the same month last year.

Overall a total of 84,040 new cars took to the roads in February, compared with 177,133 in the same month last year.

Sales of Rover cars fell from 15,751 in February 1998 to 5,528 last month.

The motor industry had been expecting the switch to twice-yearly plate changes to have a dramatic effect on sales.

Roger King, acting chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said the introduction of the new T-registration this month would affect buying patterns for the first quarter of the year.

He said: "Until the outcome for March is known, it is difficult to draw conclusions on the general state of the market."

Story date: Friday 05 March

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