UK new car registrations declined for a fourth consecutive month in June, with year-on-year demand falling by -4.9% to 223,421 units, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Some 1,269,245 new cars joined British roads in the first half of the year, down -3.4% as ongoing confusion over low emission zones and diesel, the removal of key ultra low emission vehicle … [Read more...]
UK new car sales drop
The UK new car market declined by -4.6% in May with 183,724 units registered, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The fall reflects continued uncertainty over diesel and clean air zones as well as the removal of incentives for plug-in hybrid vehicles and the underlying economic and political instability continues to affect consumer and business confidence, said the … [Read more...]
Tradelines 5 June
The next generation Land Rover Defender will be unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show in early September. It is one of the car makers still pledged to the German motor show, despite 22 other makers missing it as they revisit their sales and marketing strategies, but the new Ford Puma SUV is expected to be their highlight at the event. The planned Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Renault Group … [Read more...]
Car makers pay the price of planning ahead
British car-makers who turned off production lines anticipating chaos with suppliers and exports around the original Brexit date in March have seen a dramatic fall in output. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said car production fell 44.5% year-on-year to 70,971 units in April, the lowest since the 2009 recession started. Car factories shut down before March 29, the original … [Read more...]
New car sales’ steep fall in Wales
New car sales have fallen the steepest in Wales during April, says the SMMT. They dipped over 10% compared to the same month last year to 5,379 new models registered and in Britain as a whole sales slipped just under 4% with 160,606 registrations, and Wales's best sellers in April were: Fiesta, Focus, Kuga, Qashqai, Ecosport, Polo, A-Class, Duster, GrandlandX, Golf and Tiguan. Following … [Read more...]
UK car production plunges
Car production in the UK fell by an annual 14.4% to 126,195 cars in March, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Exports were down by 13.4 % and these account for 80% of production. The SMMT said analysis it had commissioned predicted output would fall this year to 1.36 million units from 1.52 million in 2018, assuming there’s a transition deal with the EU. If … [Read more...]
Plug-in hybrids powering up sales
The number of plug-in electric cars on British roads grew by three quarters last year, according to new Motorparc by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The UK’s largest automotive analysis shows there is now a record 195,410 plug-in vehicles on our roads, reflecting the growing choice of models now on offer. Overall ownership of alternatively fuelled vehicles increased by … [Read more...]
Ford lead a depressed Welsh market
New-plate car sales in Wales last month slipped 3.41% to 15,783. That was the average for the UK as a whole but in Scotland it fell almost 10% and the total UK registrations in March reached 457,220. In Wales, the top ten was dominated by Ford with Fiesta, Kuga and Focus taking the first three places, followed by Yaris, Corsa, Qashqai, Polo, Golf, Sandero and Ecosport. It was the only … [Read more...]
Tradelines 3 April
The annual CV show in the NEC is a sellout. Britain’s biggest automotive show will fill three halls with hundreds of exhibitors from 30 April to 2 May, said Rob Skelton, show director. … [Read more...]
Car making stalls but commercials speed up
UK car production fell by -15.3% in February, with 123,203 units manufactured, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Declining demand in the UK and in key European and Asian export markets resulted in output falling for the ninth consecutive month. Production for home and export markets dropped year-on-year by -11.0% and -16.4% respectively. Year-to-date, overall … [Read more...]