New car market declines further
New car registrations declined by -12.2% in October to 158,192 units. Year to date, the market is now -4.6% down on last year with a total of 2,224,603m cars registered. Sales of AFVs grew by 36.9%, petrol rose 2.7%, while diesel declined by -29.9%.
‘Despite the October new car market declining by -12.2%, the alternative fuel vehicle segment grew by 36.9%. Although the continuous increase in alternative fuel vehicles’ sales is encouraging, in the short and medium term, they will not fully replace petrol and diesel cars. Going forward, we must ensure that consumers have the accurate facts and information to be able to choose the car best suited to their needs’, said Sue Robinson, director of the national franchised dealers association (NFDA) which represents franchised car and commercial vehicle dealers in the UK.’
Robinson continued, ‘The significant decline in sales of diesel vehicles shows that consumers have been affected by current media and Government coverage. Modern Euro 6 diesel cars cannot be compared to older diesel models.
‘Consumer footfall is stable, with a particular interest in the used car market which remains at high levels. It is crucial that consumers continue to receive support and the Government must send clear messages about its future plans.
‘While the majority of forecasts for 2018 and 2019 have recently been revised, this year’s performance remains in line with initial predictions of a -5% decline.’
