August car sales jump 15.3 pct
New car sales rose in August 15.3 percent year-on-year to 22,845 vehicles, the largest increase in 10 years, due to a cut in a government car registration tax. In a bid to help boost growth and jobs in the car market, the government announced in April a 50 percent cut in the registration tax on new cars and motorcycles, which was applicable until mid-July. The sharp rise in August sales helped trim the drop-off seen for the eight-month period, the Athens News Agency reported, citing figures from the Association of Motor Vehicle Importers Representatives. For the January-August period, new car sales dipped 18.3 percent year-on-year to 169,429 new cars in comparison with last year’s figure which reached 207,411. Opel topped the list of car sales in August, selling 2,479 vehicles, due to the popularity of the Insignia model. Suzuki came in second place, followed by Nissan, according to data for the month.
