For the first time in over a year new car sales have dropped, latest figures for the UK car industry have revealed.
New car registrations fell by 13.2% in July following 12 sucessive monthly rises but the market still remains up 15.1% for this year compared with 2009 sales.
Although it is disappointing for the industry the figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, are hardly a surprise since sales throughout the previous 12 months had been fuelled by the government's scrappage scheme that gave customers a £2,000 discount when they traded in their old cars.
SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt, said: 'A drop in private registrations compared to the scrappage-fuelled months of 2009 was expected and has brought the first market decline for 12 months. Subdued consumer confidence and a still fragile economic recovery make the outlook for the remainder of 2010 challenging, but a stronger than expected first half means full year volumes are still forecast to exceed 2009's total.'
However, the appetite for diesels and alternatively fuelled cars is still strong. The diesel share of the market hit a record high of 50.6% while the Alternatively fuelled vehicles (AFV) share is now 1.4% of the market.
Category-wise, the MPV and 4x4 segments rose, accounting for one in eight new cars registered in July, while, surprisingly, supermini and mini segment volumes fell sharply.
The Ford Fiesta was the best selling model in July, as it was over the year-to-date.
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The best selling cars in July (private and fleet registrations combined)
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The worst performing manufacturers in July (private and fleet registrations combined) in percentage terms
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