Australia's new vehicle sales jump 3% in December

[ SYDNEY] Australian new vehicle sales jumped 3 per cent in December for the largest monthly gain of the year, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on Monday.

The data showed 94,903 new vehicles were sold in December, seasonally adjusted, up 3 per cent from November when sales had eased 0.5 per cent. Sales were down 1.0 per cent on December 2013.

Sales of passenger vehicles rose 2.8 per cent in the month, while sales of sports utility vehicles gained 1.2 per cent and other vehicles including trucks climbed 6.5 per cent.

REUTERS