In a surge of optimism, sales in Portugal of all light vehicles this March increased 51.8% compared to the same month last year.
In the period from January to March 2014 there has been an annual growth of 43.8% bringing some cheer to a battered vehicle retail sector.
In March, 14,149 passenger cars were shifted from forecourts in Portugal, an increase of 47.0% over the same month last year. In the first three months of the year the sales of passenger vehicles stood at 33,954 units, an increase of 40.5% over the same period of 2013.
Renault, Peugeot and Volkswagen were the best sellers for March, the same ranking as in the first quarter.
Light commercial vehicle sales of 2,447 represented an increase of 87.2% in March with first quarter sales of 5,764 units, an increase of 66.5% over last year’s first quarter.
The normally gloomy comments from the trade association were noticeably absent from today’s press announcement.
The Automobile Association of Portugal reported at the end of February that the market for all vehicles had grown 44.3% compared to February 2013.
A resolution in Parliament in July 2013 recommended the government should introduce a new incentive plan to scrap old cars in order to boost sales of new ones, but the 2014 State Budget totally ignored the pleas from experts at the Automobile Association of Portugal and the National Association for Trade and Auto Repair.
To the horror of the two associations the government instead introduced measures to dampen demand for vehicles, including higher car tax rates for diesel powered cars.
