New car sales in Northern Ireland increased marginally in 2021 but were still far below pre-pandemic levels, industry data suggests.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said 36,616 new cars were registered in 2021, just 425 more than in 2020.
That means sales were still 29 percent down on 2019.
Meanwhile new car registrations in Britain last year grew slightly from 2020 but were still far below pre-pandemic levels, reflecting a shortage of semiconductors as well as the direct impact of the pandemic.
Some 1.65 million new cars were registered in Britain in 2021, 1 percent more than in 2020 but 28.7 percent fewer than in 2019, according to preliminary figures from the SMMT.
Sales in December alone were 18.2 percent below those of December 2020, with 108,596 new cars registered.
