Sales of new cars in the UK is growing steadily with performance during last month pegged as the best ever April performance in 10 years, statistics from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveal.
According to data provided by SMMT, April registered a 5.1 per cent rise in sales over March with 185,778 new registrations. If we consider April’s sales data, the 5.1 per cent increase took the tally of the year-so-far sales to 920,366, which is a healthy 6.4 per cent increase on January-April 2014. According to SMMT, April 2015 was the 38th successive month of growth in new car sales and was also the best April performance for 10 years.
Following were the top five selling models last month:
1. Ford Fiesta
2. Ford Focus
3. Volkswagen Golf
4. Vauxhall Corsa
5. Nissan Qashqai
As far as commercial vehicle registrations are concerned, they rose 23.5 per cent in April, with similar growth of 23.9 per cent for the year to-date.
The SMMT statistics also show that there is a strong demand for trucks evident from the 43.5 per cent increase in April to 3,900 units. Van registrations also registered an increase for 12th consecutive month to 24,927 units – up 20.9 per cent.
“With business confidence still on the up, the strong uplift enjoyed in the commercial vehicle market this year has continued into spring,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive. “Demand for new vans is stronger than ever, with the sector recording its 12th consecutive month of growth in April.
“The move towards larger vehicles across all segments was again evident last month, with rigids weighing in over six tonnes and three-axle artics driving the increase in truck registrations.
“We look to the next government for stability to ensure this robust performance continues.”
The automotive industry is a vital part of the UK economy accounting for more than £64 billion turnover and £12 billion value added. With more than 160,000 people employed directly in manufacturing and in excess of 770,000 across the wider automotive industry, it accounts for 10% of total UK export of goods and invests £1.9 billion each year in automotive R&D. More than 30 manufacturers build in excess of 70 models of vehicle in the UK supported by around 2,500 component providers and some of the world’s most skilled engineers.
