Brian Cooke, Deputy Director General, SIMI has welcomed the boost that the 132 plate has given car sales in the first 20 days of July.

Already new car sales has surpassed the 6,000 units that the motoring organisation had predicted for the whole month with just 20 days gone in the month.

Brian Cooke says: "It's clear from the figures that, as we near the end of July, the new 132 plate is still generating interest among car buyers. It's positive to see not only the sale of new cars well ahead of July 2012, but also commercial vehicle activity up, which is often a sign of increased business activity. Dealers are reporting that they are continuing to see strong footfall, and it appears that the many finance offers available are encouraging people to purchase their new car. We hope this momentum continues into August.â€