New car registrations in March were up 1.8%
year-on-year, according to the latest SMMT statistics, exceeding
forecasts for the month and led by a 7% rise in private
registrations.
March has traditionally been the busiest
month for registrations – averaging 18% of yearly volumes – but
quarterly figures also showed improvement as car volumes increased
0.9% to 563,556 units.
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Paul Everitt, SMTT chief executive said:
“Domestic demand for new cars is showing signs of recovery with
private buyers increasingly retuning to take advantage of a wide
range of excellent products and, this month, the new 12-plate.”
Market shares for diesel and
alternatively-fuelled vehicles showed continued growth. Diesel was
up 4.7% from 2011, taking a 50.4% share of the fuel market in
quarter one. Alternatively-fuelled car sales increased 5.6% by from
last year, reaching 1.5% this quarter.
The best-selling model in March was the
Ford Fiesta, which saw almost a 2% rise in sales year-on-year.
On the contrary, Vauxhall experienced a
struggle: while the brand shifted the second highest volume of cars
in March after Ford, data showed a 7% decrease in sales
year-on-year.
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