FRANKFURT: New car registrations in Germany, a key measure of demand in one of the most important sectors of Europe’s top economy, rose sharply in December, marking a strong year as a whole for the industry, data showed on Wednesday. A total of 247,300 new cars were registered last month, an increase of eight per cent compared with the figure for the same month in 2014, according to data compiled by the automakers’ federation VDA. Taking the year as a whole, new car registrations advanced by six per cent to 3.206 million vehicles, the statement added. “The 2015 car year put in a good performance at the end, bringing the annual sales to more than 3.2 million for the first time in six years,” said VDA Chief Matthias Wissmann. The increase ‘shows the current robustness of the German auto market’, Wissmann said. But competition on the international markets is growing fiercer, he warned.