More new private cars have been registered with the Department of Land Transport (DLT) in the past six months than in the same period last year though there were fewer registrations of new motorcycles and public vehicles, according to the department.
From January to June, the number of private cars and other transport vehicles with "red number plates", allocated to brand-new vehicles which obtained registrations totalled 1,615,524, said DLT deputy director-general Janthira Buruspat.
The breakdown is: 405,203 private cars with up to seven seats, up 8% year on year; 149,985 private transport vehicles, up 6%; and 8,573 private cars with more than seven seats, up 1%.
However, the department reported a drop in registrations of motorcycles and public transport vehicles.
Ms Janthira said in the first half of this year, 971,761 new motorcycles registered with the DLT, a decline of 4% from the same period last year.
A bigger drop of 6% was also seen in the number of registered buses year on year. Altogether, 5,798 new buses were registered.
Also, 33,885 trucks have been registered in the past six months, down 3%.
Ms Janthira said registrations in the first half of this year have brought to 40,190,328 the number of registered vehicles nationwide. Most of them -- or 21,051, 977 -- are motorcycles, followed by 9,713,980 private cars with up to seven seats.
The DLT deputy chief said that applying to register a new car is now easier and faster and can be processed within a day.