New research by business information provider Precise suggests the UK automotive industry could be on the road to recovery.

Its analysis of social media conversations expressing a ‘desire or intention to purchase a new car’ showed an increase of 97% for February to March 2012 compared to the same period in 2011

The year-on-year increase for August to September 2012 was 71%.

It also appears that fears relating to ‘13’ are unfounded. Precise expects another surge in conversations ahead of the new plate number.

James Withey, head of brand insight at Precise, commented: “The increase in social media discussions expressing the intention to buy a new car, whether buoyed by new number plates or not, is a good indicator that further growth may be on the cards for 2013.

“On the whole, people buy practical cars but want to read and talk about high end models. The enthusiasm for premium brands is quite telling. It demonstrates that even in a downturn, people aspire to own models that excite them.”