FRANKFURT Foreign demand for German-made cars kept the auto industry going in the first quarter of this year, while domestic demand remained sluggish, data published by the VDA Industry Federation showed on Wednesday.

A total 1.549 million motor vehicles rolled off German production lines in the period from January to March, eight percent more than in first quarter of 2000, AFP quoted VDA as saying in a statement.

Export sales jumped by 12 percent to 1.067 million vehicles, while new registrations in Germany slumped seven percent to 899,600.

Car makers built a total 1.436 million passenger cars in Germany in the January-March period, eight percent more than in the corresponding period of 2000.