UK new car registrations rise 3.2 pct in July - SMMT

LONDON, Aug 6 (Reuters) - British new car registrations rose in July by 3.2 percent year-on-year to 178,420 vehicles, an industry body said on Thursday, driven by sales of small family cars and super-mini models.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders forecasts that full-year new car sales will rise nearly 4 percent compared to last year, hitting 2.57 million units in 2015 thanks to a mix of cheap credit and strong levels of consumer confidence.

However, the body said the slower pace of growth in July compared to previous months indicated that demand would level off in the second part of the year compared to a bumper period during the first six months of 2015.

(Reporting By Costas Pitas)