UK new car registrations rise 8.4 pct year-on-year in Feb-SMMT

LONDON, March 4 (Reuters) - British new car registrations rose 8.4 percent to 83,395 units last month, the strongest performance for the month of February since 2004, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said on Friday.

Diesel and petrol registrations grew by 5.6 percent and 10.7 percent respectively while alternative-fuel vehicles jumped nearly 20 percent.

"February is typically one of the quietest months of the year, ahead of March's plate change, but this positive performance is encouraging and puts the sector in a good position for the coming 12 months," Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said. (Writing by William Schomberg; editing by Li-mei Hoang)