UK car sales back on track after bumpy ride

New car sales in Britain rose in February from a year earlier, reversing five straight monthly declines despite fears over Brexit and China's economic slowdown, data showed Tuesday.

New registrations for all cars increased 1.4 percent in February year-on-year to almost 82,000 vehicles, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said in a statement.

Sales had tumbled in the previous five months on an annual basis owing to weak demand for high-polluting diesel amid a broader UK government push for cleaner transport.

Carmakers are also facing fallout from looming Brexit, as well as China's slowdown -- and its ongoing trade row with the United States.

The SMMT last week revealed that the number of cars built in Britain tumbled by a fifth in January, rocked partly by the threat of a no-deal Brexit.

UK car production dived 18.2 percent to 120,649 vehicles at the start of 2019 compared with a year earlier, marking the eighth successive monthly decline.