The UK car new market fell by 20.5% in September year-on-year, according to data from the the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The sharp decline is due to the ongoing impact of the WLTP emissions regulations that were introduced on 1 September. These regulatory changes mean many manufacturers are still catching up with testing under the new regulations, meaning not all car variants are available.
By comparison, August car registrations saw a massive rise of 23.1% year-on-year as manufacturers tried to shift as much old stock (which would not adhere to the new regulations) as possible.
In September, 338,334 vehicles were registered, down around 87,000 on the previous year.
Diesel sales saw the sharpest decline, dropping 42.5% compared with September 2017, while petrol registrations fell 6.7%. Diesel now holds a market share of 29%.
Alternatively fuelled vehicles, which include hybrids and electric cars, rose 3.9%. AFVs now hold 6.9% of overall market share, up from 5.3% last year.
MPVs and specialist sport cars were hit hardest, down 54.8% and 50.9% respectively, while the only segment to register growth was luxury saloons, up 3.5%.
Ford Fiesta remains the top seller, with 12,227 units sold. The Vauxhall Corsa and Mercedes-Benz A-Class are in second and third place.
Volkswagen, which has openly admitted struggling to get all of its vehicles through testing in time, was one of the worst hit. Its car registrations fell 55.18% year-on-year while VW Group-owned Porsche also suffered. Its figures fell 67.85% compared to September 2017.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “With the industry given barely a year to reapprove the entire European model line-up, it’s no surprise that we’ve seen bottlenecks and a squeeze on supply.
“These are exceptional circumstances with similar declines seen in other major European markets. The good news is that, as backlogs ease, consumers and businesses can look forward to a raft of exciting high-tech cars and a market keen to recover lost momentum.”
The SMMT also predicts that, over the coming months, “some rebalancing is expected as an increasing range of new models are certified for sale”.
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Had to change...?
Yeah I think so,for too many decades published stats for Car performance were pure fantasy, easily 20% out in terms of mpg, now it’s been replaced with a more accurate measure Car makers are like the proverbial Swan, serenely floating away on the Lake but underneath peddling like crazy to stay afloat!
Fall in sales is positive
This needs to be a long-term trend. The disposable nature of our society is extremely wasteful of resources, and that is the true environmental issue which must be addressed. Consumer goods, especially ones as large as cars, must be made to last longer. The calls by the likes of that cunt Hawes at the SMMT for scrappage of cars only eight or nine years old is a fucking disgrace. Longevity is everything, the cars we have now have to last us longer, and if legislation were passed permitting only one brand new car per person in any ten year period that would ensure that people maintain their cars properly and stretch out their lives to the fullest extent. No car has ever been made, and none ever will be, which merits the scrapping of an existing car with useful life remaining to make way for it.
@ bowersheepdog
Undoubtedly Hawes is a prat and a stuck record to boot, but bowers.....no need for such extreme use of the vernacular to make your point!
Re 289:
Sometimes a noun and an adjective are simply inseparable.
AFV significance
The rise of AFVs is very significant to 6.9%, we are going to see a tipping point over the next 5 years.