Hundreds of empty, parked cars go up in flames in France each New Year's Eve, set afire by young revellers, a much lamented tradition that remained intact this year with 1193 vehicles burned, Interior Minister Manuel Valls says.

His announcement on Tuesday was the first time in three years that such figures have been released.

Cars torched during New Year's Eve in Strasbourg's area are parked at the pound of Strasbourg, eastern France January 1, 2013. Photo: REUTERS/Jean-Marc Loo

The conservative government of former President Nicolas Sarkozy had decided to stop publishing them in a bid to reduce the crime - and not play into the hands of car-torching youths who try to outdo each other.

France's current Socialist government decided otherwise, deeming total transparency the best method, and the rate of burned cars apparently remained steady.