Premium brand used cars, led by Audi and BMW,
bucked a small decline in overall Q3 UK sales volumes with
year-on-year increases of 8.6% and 2.8% respectively, according to
statistics released by global information services company
Experian.

By contrast, fewer Toyotas and Renaults were
sold in Q3 compared to last year, with sales down 7.7% and 7%
respectively.

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By segment, luxury cars suffered the steepest
dip in Q3 sales, down 7.8% compared to 2010, followed by
executives, which dropped by 6.4%.

A total of 1,749,417 used cars were sold in
Q3, down 2.9% compared to Q3 2010 (1,801,258), and also a drop of
0.7% since Q2 2011 (1,761,916).

Despite declines in the majority of segments,
the 4×4 (including Range Rover Sports and the BMW X5), MPV
(including the Vauxhall Zafira and Renault Scenic) and mini
(including the Smart Fortwo and Fiat Seicento) categories all beat
Q3 2010 sales, by 2.6%, 0.9% and 0.6% respectively. Sales of
electric models were 25% higher than in Q3 2011.

Regionally, north west England experienced the
biggest decline compared to Q3 last year, with sales down by 4.6%
The second biggest decline, at 4.4%, was in the south east.
Scotland was the only UK region where Q3 sales were up both
year-on-year and since Q2, by 0.6% and 1.9% respectively.

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Alistair Scullion, managing director of
Experian Automotive in the UK and Ireland, said: “Despite the
slight drop in used car sales this quarter, the strong performance
of the 4×4, MPV and mini categories and the continuing popularity
of higher-end brands points to growth opportunities in a
challenging market environment.”