Australian new vehicle sales fall in Jan

SYDNEY -- New vehicle sales in Australia fell 2.4 percent in January 2013, compared with the previous month, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on Monday.

The ABS said that 95,694 new vehicles were sold in January, down from 98,097 in December, 2012.

In the year to January, new motor vehicle sales rose 10.8 percent.

The ABS said six of the eight states and territories across the country experienced a decrease for new vehicle sales in the month.

The Northern Territory recorded the largest percentage fall in new vehicle sales in January, down 7.7 percent, followed by Queensland, down 4.8 percent and New South Wales, down 3.5 percent.

Over the same period, new vehicle sales in Tasmania and South Australia increased by 11.3 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively.