- Year-to-August market is up one per cent from 1,633,585 to 1,649,195 units n
- August 2004 down 4.9 per cent at 84,996 units, but 6.0 per cent better than five-year average of 80,221 units
- August market typically three per cent of year-end total compared to around 17 per cent in September
Commenting on the August market, SMMT chief executive Christopher Macgowan said, ‘Until the industry moved to a twice yearly registration plate change, August was the month to watch. Now, its significance is dwarfed by the key September market.
‘Growth that has sustained the market for the last four years has eased a little in recent months and it will be the September figures that tell us if a strong start to 2004 will bring a fourth consecutive record year.’
August 2004
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 SMMT is acknowledged as the source of this information, the figures may be quoted. Substantial reproduction needs specific approval by SMMT.
Notes to editors
1. The following figures show totals for the August market since the introduction of the twice-yearly plate change in 1999:
1999 74,444
2000 72,708
2001 77,368
2002 87,245
2003 89,338
2. The largest ever August market was achieved in 1997 with 525,539 cars leaving showrooms. The last August peak in 1998 recorded a market of 505,312 units.
3. The twice-yearly plate change was first introduced in 1999.
4. New car registrations in the UK reached a record 2,579,050 units in 2003, up from 2,563,631 units in 2002 and 2,458,769 units in 2001.
