New car registrations continue to drive ahead

By SCOTT REID
Published on 07/11/2012 00:00

SCOTLAND’S new car market continued to motor ahead last month, according to industry figures, but there were even stronger gains across the UK as a whole.

There was an 11.2 per cent year-on-year jump in registrations in October as Scottish motorists snapped up popular models such as the Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa and Renault Clio. Across the UK, the increase was 12.1 per cent.

In the year to the end of October, car sales north of the Border grew by 9.4 per cent compared with a 5 per cent rise UK-wide.

Douglas Robertson, chief executive of the Scottish Motor Trade Association, said: “This further increase in new car registrations is very welcome.

“It means that since July registrations in Scotland have increased by 15.4 per cent. We view this as further evidence that consumer confidence is returning to the market perhaps even faster than we had anticipated and our dealers can look forward with more confidence to the start of 2013.”

There were 13,691 registrations in Scotland last month. Across the UK, the total was 151,252.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has revised upwards its forecast for full-year UK sales to more than two million units, compared with 1.94 million in 2011.

However, the year-to-date figure for 2012 is still some 16 per cent, or 335,000 units, below the 2007, pre-recession volume.

LATEST SALES FIGURES

Scotland UK

1 Ford Fiesta 763 Ford Fiesta 8,058

2 Vauxhall Corsa 719 Vauxhall Corsa 6,285

3 Ford Focus 502 Ford Focus 5,834

4 Renault Clio 493 Vauxhall Astra 5,754

5 Vauxhall Astra 403 VW Golf 4,158

6 VW Polo 335 BMW 3-Series 3,762

7 Mini 321 Nissan Qashqai 3,567

8 Nissan Qashqai 312 BMW 1-Series 3,029

9 Fiat 500 307 Mini 2,970

10 VW Golf 304 VW Polo 2,952

Source: SMMT