Car manufacturers Hyundai and Seat, both of which significantly increased new car registrations in a contracting market in 2011 have celebrated with the opening of 36 showrooms between them in the past year.

Seat is making the biggest push with seven sites opening, or about to open, between November and February. Most of these sites are concentrated in southern England and South Wales, with one new retailer in Newcastle.

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The Spanish brand registered 36,089 new car sales in 2011, a 9.58% increase on the previous year and delivering 1.86% market share, up from 1.62%.

Hyundai, which saw a 1.86% increase in sales in 2011, selling 62,900 new cars and increasing its market share from 3.04% to 3.24%, has opened 29 new dealerships in the past 12 months, taking its total to 152 sites.

Seat’s sister brand Škoda, with a 9.27% rise in new car sales in 2011, also have a new showroom opening in Paisley in January with Arnold Clark, one of the UK’s largest dealer groups stretching from Scotland to the Midlands. UK market share for the Czech manufacturer rose from 2.03% to 2.32% last year as new car sales hit 45,061.

The opening coincides with Škoda’s extension of its ‘pay no VAT’ and 0% APR representative finance offers, similar to those of Suzuki and Mazda at the end of 2011, on a selection of models until 31 March 2012.

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Suzuki, however, is one of two Japanese manufacturers to open new dealerships despite having registered losses in new car sales in 2011. Mitsubishi, which dropped new registrations by 19.38% in 2011, will be represented in Farnham at Wiltshire & Sons while Suzuki, down 5.53%, has opened the doors to its Maidenhaed franchise, part of the Littlewick Green Motor Group.

South Korean manufacturer Kia, which dropped 4.45% in new car sales last year but kept a stable market share, has opened the first of its branded Red Cube showrooms in Cheshire, part of the Arnold Clark dealer group, as with Škoda, and built on Arnold Clark Northwich site.

Crewe-based luxury marque Bentley has opened its Cambridge showroom, part of the Vindis Group, which will deal in new and used Bentleys and includes a three-ramp workshop. Despite the fears of recession, Bentley enjoyed a 4.43% rise in new car sales in 2011, registering just over 1,000 new registrations.

richard.brown@vrlfinancialnews.com