The new car order backlog at Australia’s largest car dealership group, Eagers Automotive, is 25 per cent higher in July and August than it was a year ago and the chief executive said there had been no sign of any cooling as interest rates rise.

Keith Thornton said the group, which operates 268 car dealerships across Australia and New Zealand, said demand was still way ahead of supply even as households faced higher cost-of-living increases and long wait times.