Turnover in the Dutch car sector fell 2.4% in the second quarter of this year compared with the same 2007 period despite the fact that more cars were sold, reports the national statistics body CBS on Wednesday.

The cause of the decline is the growing popularity of smaller, cheaper cars, said CBS. The total number of cars sold in the first six months of the year was up 1.7% (4,900 cars) compared with a year ago.