Car registration numbers down year on year

The number of car registrations dropped sharply last month, it has been announced.State agency Statistik Austria said today (Mon) 31,807 newly registered cars in April meant an 11.4 per cent year on year decline.The 107,745 cars registered between January and April 2010 however meant a 7.5 per cent increase compared to the same time span in 2009.Statistik Austria said April was the first month of this year with a decline in registration figures. The agency added that thousands of drivers had taken the opportunity to buy a new car when the so-called car junk bonus scheme was introduced in April 2009.People could apply for a 1,500-Euro state bonus if they bought new cars and turned in their former vehicles if they were at least 13 years old.Statistik Austria recently announced that 4.36 million cars were registered at the end of last year, 1.8 per cent more than in the previous year. It said the number of lorries had also jumped, with 371,000 registered in 2009, a 2.5 per cent increase compared to 2008.Volkswagen (VW) remained Austrians’ favourite brand, followed by German rivals Opel and Audi.