The number of '162' car registrations for the month of August is up 14% when compared to the same period last year.

Some 7,313 cars were registered last month, compared with 6,400 in August last year.

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) says the total of new car sales are up 19% - to 138,538.

The figures also show the top selling makes for the year so far, which are Hyundai, Toyota, Volkswagen, Ford, and Nissan.

And the top selling car for August was the Hyundai Tucson.

While in the business sector, SIMI says commercial vehicles are performing well.

Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) are up 11% on the same month last year - and Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) registrations are also up 49% for the month of August.

SIMI director-general Alan Nolan said: "The motor industry has been working hard to deliver the continuing level of growth in what has been a noticeably more difficult market since June.

"As we move toward the end of 3rd quarter of the year the industry remains focused on business still to be done, with strong offers still available for consumers.

"In contrast with the era before the two-period registration system was introduced, when sales were all but finished in the first quarter, the interest in new vehicle sales now tends to carry to the end of the third quarter, but obviously at a lower rate."

SIMI says the industry is on course to deliver close to 150,000 new car sales by the end of the year, having already generated €1.2bn for the Exchequer in VRT and VAT.

"It is crucial that the provisions in the forthcoming Budget for 2017 support rather than undermine the State’s tax revenues and employment across the sector", Nolan adds.

"Suggestions of piece-meal increases on diesel fuel or indeed on road tax being considered, at a time when soaring insurance costs are already impacting, would be damaging and extremely ill-conceived given that a new EU emissions regime is being rolled-out from next year which will require a major review of our current environmental taxation."