Scottish car sales outshine UK, with 2012 set to be ‘even better’

The forecast was made after figures showed that 166,877 cars were registered last year in Scotland, a fall of 4.9 per cent on 2010.

Douglas Robertson, chief executive of the Scottish Motor Trade Association, said that, given the tough economic backdrop, “we should not be too disappointed” at the outcome.

The reversal in Scottish sales compares with a 4.4 per cent fall for the UK as a whole. Sales in 2010 had been boosted by the tail end of the UK government’s car scrappage scheme.

Robertson said: “2012 is going to be another difficult year but we are aware that there will be a significant number of new and updated models becoming available during the year.

“This, together with the improved fuel efficiency that these new models will offer, should help to encourage consumers into showrooms.”

He added: “We also anticipate UK government action to assist consumers with financing facilities during the forthcoming year.”

The best-selling vehicle in 2011 in Scotland was Vauxhall’s Corsa supermini, while the British built Nissan Qashqai and Mini also made it into the top ten.

Earlier this week it emerged that the Nissan plant near Sunderland had enjoyed a record-breaking year with round-the-clock manufacturing of the Qashqai and Qashqai+2 models.

UK-wide, a total of 1,941,253 registrations were recorded last year, down from 2,030,846 in 2010, according to trade body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Paul Everitt, chief executive of the SMMT, described 2011 as “a challenging year” for the motor industry, adding: “Business and consumer confidence will be the key to a successful year in 2012, so it will be important that the UK government delivers on its growth strategy and helps to resolve instability in the eurozone.”

In the second half of 2011, UK sales fell by just 1.1 per cent compared with the July-December 2010 period. The full-year figure was 18,000 units, or 0.9 per cent, ahead of SMMT’s forecast for 2011, set in September.

Registrations last year were supported by fleet sales, with the private market recording a drop in volumes.

Diesel and alternatively-fuelled cars took record shares of the market in 2011, with diesel volumes surpassing petrol volumes for the first time.

Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at IHS Global Insight, the forecasting group, said: “The main hope for the car sector is that the squeeze on consumers’ purchasing power should ease as 2012 progresses as inflation falls back markedly.

“However, unemployment is likely to rise appreciably further and wage growth looks set to remain muted so the overall environment will still be tough.”

NEW CAR SALES 2011

Scotland

1 Vauxhall Corsa 10,829

2 Ford Fiesta 7,427

3 Ford Focus 6,620

4 Vauxhall Astra 6,489

5 Nissan Qashqai 4,276

6 Vauxhall Insignia 4,254

7 Volkswagen Polo 4,066

8 Renault Clio 3,943

9 Volkswagen Golf 3,916

10 Mini 2,995

1 Ford Fiesta 96,112

2 Ford Focus 81,832

3 Vauxhall Corsa 77,751

4 Volkswagen Golf 63,368

5 Vauxhall Astra 62,575

6 Vauxhall Insignia 46,324

7 Volkswagen Polo 45,992

8 BMW 3-Series 42,471

9 Nissan Qashqai 39,406

10 Mini 35,845

Source: SMMT