- The new car market in August rose by 7.3% to 59,346 units.
- This was the first rise since June 2010 (13 months of decline), but the outlook remains challenging.
- Registrations from January to August were 6.1% down on a year ago.
- Private demand grew by 10.7% in August, its first rise since June 2010. Fleet volumes continued to rise.
- The Supermini segment rose by 17.6% to account for 37.3% of the August market.
“New car registrations in August rose for the first time since June 2010, up 7.3% to 59,346 units. August represents a relatively small share of the new car market and the September new 61-plate registrations will be far more important for vehicle manufacturers and franchised dealers,” said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. “The September new car market is always important for the UK motor industry, accounting for around 17% of the full year’s registrations. Consumers are nervous about the future, but with industry offering unprecedented improvements in fuel economy, competitive finance offers and a wide variety of new models, buyers will find there is something to suit every taste and pocket.”
August | Total | Diesel | Petrol | AFV | Private | Fleet | Business | ||||||||||||
2011 | 59,346 | 30,475 | 28,263 | 608 | 24,572 | 32,975 | 1,799 | ||||||||||||
2010 | 55,305 | 29,111 | 25,505 | 689 | 22,189 | 31,543 | 1,573 | ||||||||||||
% change | 7.3% | 4.7% | 10.8% | -11.8% | 10.7% | 4.5% | 14.4% | ||||||||||||
Mkt share ’11 | 51.4% | 47.6% | 1.0% | 41.4% | 55.6% | 3.0% | |||||||||||||
Mkt share ’10 | 52.6% | 46.1% | 1.2% | 40.1% | 57.0% | 2.8% | |||||||||||||
Year-to-date | Total | Diesel | Petrol | AFV | Private | Fleet | Business | ||||||||||||
2011 | 1,220,618 | 613,866 | 591,693 | 15,059 | 513,346 | 646,292 | 60,980 | ||||||||||||
2010 | 1,300,413 | 576,625 | 709,753 | 14,035 | 613,091 | 625,434 | 61,888 | ||||||||||||
% change | -6.1% | 6.5% | -16.6% | 7.3% | -16.3% | 3.3% | -1.5% | ||||||||||||
Mkt share ’11 | 50.3% | 48.5% | 1.2% | 42.1% | 52.9% | 5.0% | |||||||||||||
Mkt share ’10 | 44.3% | 54.6% | 1.1% | 47.1% | 48.1% | 4.8% | |||||||||||||
Best sellers | August | Year-to-date | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Fiesta | 3,213 | 1 | Fiesta | 61,551 | ||||||||||||||
2 | Corsa | 2,901 | 2 | Focus | 52,918 | ||||||||||||||
3 | Focus | 2,858 | 3 | Corsa | 46,620 | ||||||||||||||
4 | Golf | 1,995 | 4 | Golf | 39,385 | ||||||||||||||
5 | 3 Series | 1,739 | 5 | Astra | 38,580 | ||||||||||||||
6 | Astra | 1,613 | 6 | Insignia | 31,063 | ||||||||||||||
7 | Passat | 1,526 | 7 | Polo | 28,048 | ||||||||||||||
8 | Polo | 1,467 | 8 | 3 Series | 27,298 | ||||||||||||||
9 | Qashqai | 1,312 | 9 | Qashqai | 24,695 | ||||||||||||||
10 | A3 | 1,125 | 10 | 207 | 21,402 | ||||||||||||||
August market shows recovery from low base, but small volume nature of the market tempers optimism
- August is expected to be the smallest volume monthly new car market in 2011. In 2010 it accounted for just 2.7% of the market. The new 61 number plate was launched on 1 September.
- New car registrations rose by 7.3% or 4,041 units to 59,346 units in August 2011. This was the first rise in demand since June 2010, bringing a halt to a 13 month run of declining volumes. The August 2010 market was the lowest on record and the 2011 outturn was still more than 20% below the 1999-2010 average for the month.
- Registrations in the first eight months of the year have fallen by 6.1% or almost 79,795 units. Given the downgrade in economic growth forecasts, the outlook for the new car market is set to remain challenging. SMMT forecasts the full year market to end on 1.93 million units, a 5% decline on the 2010 market and down from the current 1.95 million running rate.
- The growth in August reflected recovery within the private sector, which grew 10.7% in August, the first rise since June 2010. The fleet market continued to grow in August and is up by 3.3% over the first eight months of the year.
- Registrations of diesel cars rose by 4.7% in the month, but their market share slipped from 52.6% last year to 51.4% after stronger growth from the petrol car market in August.
- Most segments showed growth in August, with the Mini segment (up 34.5%) and the Supermini segment (up 17.6%), showing the strongest gains.
- The Ford Fiesta was again the best selling model in the overall new car market in both August and the year-to-date.
Click through to download the full August 2011 registrations news release and data tables.