New car registrations rise again in May
- New car registrations rose 2.3 per cent in May to 198,619 units
- Year to date sales reached 1,053,703 units, three per cent up on last year
- Demand from private buyers soared 12.4 per cent to 92,032 units
- Diesel car demand rose 25.6 per cent in May to 33,891 units
Commenting on the latest figures, Christopher Macgowan, SMMT Chief Executive,
said, ‘This is the eighth consecutive month in which we’ve seen a rise in new
car registrations. And of course I’m delighted with this excellent news.
‘With so many people taking advantage of the excellent deals on offer in UK
showrooms, there can be few who would argue that anywhere other than the local
franchised dealer is the best place to buy a new car’, he added.
Notes to editors
- Private registrations took 46 per cent of total registrations last month
compared to 42 per cent in May last year. - The forecast for total registrations this year is 2.25 million units. This
has remained unchanged since the beginning of the year. - Diesel cars accounted for 17.1 per cent of the total registrations in May
2001 compared to 13.9 per cent in May 2000.
May 2001
The attached tables show the registration figures for Great Britain, Northern
Ireland, The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands in detail. Top performers by
range and UK penetration figures are also listed. Providing the SMMT is acknowledged
as the source of this information, the figures may be quoted. Substantial reproduction
needs specific approval by the SMMT.
