In the important plate change month of September, new car registrations in the UK grew by 8.2% year-on-year to 359,612 units. Comparatively, the country’s automotive industry had accounted for 332,476 cars in September 2011.
“The important September plate change market outperformed expectations with new car registrations increasing more than 8% on last year to 359,612 units. Although the economic outlook remains challenging, we are starting to see a tentative return of consumer confidence as motorists explore new products and the latest fuel-efficient technologies,” said Paul Everitt, Chief Executive Officer of The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
According to the society, September is the second busiest month for new car registrations in the UK, behind March. The month represents around 18% of the annual market. Car registration volumes in September turned out to be 7.8%, or 26,112 units, above SMMT’s forecast for the month.
“The growth is likely to be market specific, given wider economic concerns, boosted by attractive offers and enticing new models that offer significant fuel efficiency gains to UK motorists,” SMMT said in its report.
A total of 4,700 Alternatively-Fuelled Vehicles (AFVs) were registered in the country last month, down 2.2% compared with 4,807 units in September 2011. These vehicles accounted for 1.3% of the total number of cars sold during the month.
With regard to conventional cars, gasoline accounted for the bulk of registrations at 180,609 units (+8%), while an 8.6% year-on-year increase saw registrations of diesel-powered cars rise to 174,303 units.
In September, new cars registered by private buyers and fleets increased, with a drop in business registrations. A total of 177,242 cars were registered by private buyers, up 14.2%. Fleets accounted for registrations of 161,851 units, translating into an increase of 3.3%, while registrations by businesses dipped 0.9% to 20,519 units.
Ford’s Fiesta was the bestselling car in the UK last month, accounting for 18,651 units. This was followed by the Vauxhall Corsa, which managed 17,089 units, while the Ford Focus took third place, selling 13,837 cars.
By brand, Ford sold the most number of cars in September at 47,370 units (+9.3%), followed by Vauxhall with 38,889 units (+3.8%) and Volkswagen, which accounted for 31,424 cars (+7.4%).
In the first three quarters of this year, a total of 1,620,609 cars were registered in the UK, 4.3% more than the 1,553,094 units registered during the January-September 2011 period.
SMMT is due to revise its full-year forecast towards the end of this month. Its current forecast for 2012, as stated in July this year, stands at around 1.97 million cars.
