July private sales push up SMMT annual forecast

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has revised its estimation of total new car sales for 2012 after recording year-on-year growth for both overall and private new car sales in July. New car registrations were up 9.3% on July 2011 to 143,884 units while private new registrations have risen 26.4% to 63,941 units

New car registrations were up 9.3% on July
2011 to 143,884 units while private new registrations have risen
26.4% to 63,941 units. Year-to-date, new registrations are up 3.47%
to 1.2 million units.

The SMMT is now forecasting 1.97 million new
units to be sold this year, up from the
1.95 million predicted following the April figures, itself an
increase on the
1.92 million vaunted in February which would have meant fewer
new sales this year than in 2011.

Ford remained the best-selling marque for the month and the
year-to-date, with Vauxhall second and Volkswagen third, while the
Fiesta was the best-selling model in July and the first seven
months of the year.

richard.brown@vrlfinancialnews.com