New car registrations up 58 per cent on 2008
Friday, 04, Dec 2009 11:19
By Sarah Garrod.
UK car sales rose by 57.6 per cent in November, compared to weak results for the same month last year, to 158,082 units.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said the government's scrappage scheme ('cash for bangers') accounted for 21.6 per cent of all new car registrations in November.
The was also good news for the commercial sector, as business, fleet and private sales increased in the month, with private up 141.2 per cent.
"The increase in new car registrations in November reflects the positive impact of the scrappage incentive scheme, customers avoiding the VAT increase in January and the very difficult conditions we experienced a year ago," said Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive.
"SMMT is urging government to use its pre-Budget report to sustain the recovery and generate business confidence by stimulating demand in key parts of the new vehicle market."
So far this year, 1.84 million cars have been sold in the UK, 8.8 per cent lower than at the same point last year.
The scrappage scheme allows motorists to trade in cars more than ten years old in return for a £2,000 subsidy on a new model.
Ford's Fiesta was the best selling model in November, as it has been in nine months of this year, having sold 109,420 models so far this year.
After the results were announced, Volvo claimed it was set to become the first premium manufacturer in the UK to sell more cars in 2009 than in 2008.
Peter Rask, managing director of Volvo Car UK, said: "2009 has been a challenging year for the whole automotive industry but I'm very pleased that Volvo has emerged from this difficult period in such a strong position."