March registrations put spring into new car market

• March new car registrations up 3.1 per cent to 449,287 units on 2006
• Second highest March registrations ever since the twice-yearly plate change
• Diesel demand up 7.8 per cent to 264,186 units in the first quarter
• Supermini demand remains strong, up 6.6 per cent in the first quarter

‘Growth in diesel and supermini cars shows that fuel efficiency and greener motoring are now critical concerns for buyers,’ said SMMT chief executive, Christopher Macgowan. ‘The industry has been working hard to improve its environmental profile too. CO₂ from tailpipes has reduced dramatically across all bar one of the sales segments since 1997 showing a net 12 per cent reduction of CO₂ across the whole market. The recent DfT “Act on CO₂” consumer campaign is a welcome further step in a more integrated approach to sustainable motoring.’

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