- January 2003 new car market down 9.1 per cent to 186,769 units
- Diesel up 11 per cent to 50,760 units, taking a record 27.2 per cent market share
- Superminis account for one third of total January market
Christopher Macgowan, SMMT chief executive, commented, ‘We need to caution against reading too much into one month’s figures. Despite a dip in January registrations, the market is still strong, with figures on a par with January 2001. The long-term forecast for this year is 2.4 million units which would make 2003 the third strongest year on record, beaten only by exceptional results in 2001 and 2002.’
