SMMT News

Following a bumper 2013, 2014 once again marked a year of success for the UK automotive industry.

Over recent weeks Aston Martin has welcomed 14 new young people to join its expanded apprenticeship scheme.

How have car buyers’ demands changed in recent years? Citroen is giving a clue to the booming areas of growth with an exhibition at SMMT’s Westminster headquarters this week.

1. Latvia takes on Presidency of the Council of the European Union
2. EU hopes for ‘skeleton’ of US trade deal by year-end
3. Commission publishes TTIP legal texts
4. Climate governance divides countries
5. Martin Lundstedt elected ACEA Commercial Vehicle Board Chairman
6. Industrial Producer Prices fall
7. Week ahead

1. 2015 General Election campaign begins
2. £35 million fund to promote uptake of ULEVs
3. UK new car registrations reach 10-year high in 2014
4. CV market returns to pre-recession level
5. Deputy PM signs Growth Deals
6. Germany gives no ground to UK on EU migration
7. Week ahead

Today, SMMT released figures for November pre-registrations in the UK new car market.

Overall bus and coach registrations fell 4.6% in 2014 to 7,352 units. December’s 26.1% decline driven by drop in purpose-built bus and coach registrations. Whole year demand for purpose-built coaches rose 5.8%, despite a 51.1% drop in registrations in December.

Commercial vehicle market grows 11.0% to 363,155 units in 2014, the highest level since 2007.
Van market leads growth, up 18.7% to 321,686 registrations for the year.
Truck registrations fell 26.2% throughout the year due to changing legislation.

SMMT has published Electric Vehicle (EV) registration figures for December and the full year.

2,476,435 new cars registered in the UK in 2014 – the most in a calendar year since 2004.
Year was fourth-largest of all time; only 2002, 2003 and 2004 saw more cars registered.
2014 market grew 9.3% over the previous year, ahead of the EU average of 5.7%*.