Sales of new cars in Spain rose by 17.8 percent in the first six months of the year compared with the same period in 2013, organizations from the Spanish automobile sector reported on Tuesday.

The Association of Car Manufacturers (ANFAC), the Federation of Associations of Dealers of the Automotive sector (FACONAUTO) and the Association of Car Dealers (GANVAM) reported that the number of purchases stood at 454,942 in the first half of the year.

The organizations said that purchases made by individuals rose by 23 percent to 224,394 unities, accounting for 50 percent of the total number of sales. Meanwhile, firms purchased 104,300 unities, which meant a 9.9 percent increase in comparison with a year ago.

Only in June, the organizations registered 90,158 purchases, which meant a 23.9 percent increase in comparison with a year earlier.

In June, the government extended its so-called "Plan PIVE", where prospective buyers are given 2,000 euros (2,737 U.S. dollars) to buy a new and more ecological car.

Thanks to the extension, there were 9,000 bookings in three days, with an expected revenue of 120 million euros for car manufacturers. (1 euro = 1.37 U.S. dollars)