New car sales remained almost identical to figures in 2011, according to the latest set of UK car industry data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
New car registrations were 128,853 in January 2012 - meaning only 200 more new cars were sold in the month, compared to the figure for January 2011; a rise of 0.03%.
SMMT welcomed the figures as representing a "welcomes sign of stability".
The body, which represents car manufacturers in the UK, predicts a fall of one per cent for 2012, compared to 2011, indicating that the economic outlook is not expected to improve over 2012. January typically accounts for around 7% of annual registrations.
“2012 is set to be an exciting year with record numbers of new models coming to market filled with innovative technology that will save the motorist fuel, enhance comfort and further increase levels of safety and security" said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive.
SMMT predicts a slight recovery to 1.98 million units in 2013, but called for the government to boost business and consumer confidence.
Fuel types
Diesel and alternatively-fuelled cars increased volumes, up 6.3% and 17.7% respectively in January 2012.
Diesel market share moved from 50.7% a year ago to 53.7%, as motorists look to ensure increased fuel efficiency.
Another indication of the drive to reduce running costs was the rise in registrations of alternatively fuelled vehicles, up by 16.4% in January 2012 and accounting for 1.6% of the market.
The last three months have some particularly high levels of alt-fuel vehicles - including EVs and petrol/diesel-electric models.
A raft of new alt-fuel models are planned for 2012, including the Vauxhall Ampera and Renault's new range of electric vehicles.
Sectors
Drilling down through the figures reveals that private sales were up by 2.3% on the previous year - alongside further growth in the fleet sector of 0.3%. Business sales were down by 22.8%.
Segments
Four of the top sellers were Superminis and the segment showed the largest rise in volumes during January; however, growth in demand for Luxury, SUV, Executive and Sports segments is also evident.
The Ford Fiesta was the best selling model in January 2012 - ahead of the Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf, Vauxhall Corsa and Vauxhall Astra.
Manufacturers - winners and losers
Bentley, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Jeep, Lexus, MG, Smart and Ssangyong all increased sales by 40% or more in January 2012.
MG increased sales by over 5,000% due to the introduction of its new MG6 range of small family cars. Ssangyong sold 43 models in January compared to three models in January 2011; its new Korando crossover SUV went on sale late last year.
Chevrolet sold 2,064 models in January 2012 - more than double the number it sold in January 2011; its new Cruze hatch and updated Captiva SUV hitting the market in 2012.
Kia, Land Rover, Nissan and Skoda all made strong advances in sales and market share.
Abarth, BMW, Citroen, Mitsubishi, Proton, Renault, Saab and Vauxhall all saw sales fall by 20% or more.
Renault continues to perform poorly, with a market share currently lower than Land Rover, and has recently ditched half of its model range and dozens of dealerships as it attempts to retrench in preparation for an electric-car assault on the market.
Saab recently declared bankruptcy, there are believed to be only a handful of new Saab models in UK dealerships.