Car buyers rush to franchised dealers in January
- New car registrations up 9.3 per cent in January to 205,476 units
- January figures mark 16 months of growth in the new car market
- Private registrations up 5.3 per cent on top of 28.2 per cent rise in 2001
SMMT chief executive Christopher Macgowan said, ‘Car buyers flocked into franchised
dealers in January and 2002 is off to a flying start. Growth of nine per cent
in the market is good news for the industry and it’s worth noting that the total
number of British built cars increased year-on-year despite a rise in the sales
of cars manufactured outside the UK.
‘New models, competitive pricing and high levels of customer satisfaction
mean that the franchised dealer network continues to keep the customer in the
driving seat for great deals.’
Notes to editors
- New car registrations in the UK are expected to reach 2.35 million units
in 2002. - 2001 was a record year for new registrations – 2.45 million units, beating
the previous record set in 1989, which saw 2.3 million new cars registered. - The UK car market is now the second biggest in Europe.
December 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.
