Final Scrappage Scheme Sales Figures Revealed

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Thu, 15 Apr 2010

Nearly 380,000 new vehicles were bought through the government’s scrappage scheme by the end of last month, new figures have revealed.

Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows that a total of 372,401 new cars were purchased by UK motorists between May 2009 and March 2010, accounting for 18.7 per cent of total new car sales over the last 11 months.

Scrappage scheme sales in March however fell by around 8 per cent on the previous monthly average level, with sales accounting for just 12.2 per cent of all new car registrations .

In addition to boosting flagging sales within the UK motor industry, the scrappage scheme also helped in reducing the environmental impact of the country's car population.

According to the SMMT data, the average car bought through scrappage has CO2 emissions of 132.9g/km, some 27.1 per cent below the average figure for a scrapped car and almost 10 per cent less than the average for the new car market.

Paul Everitt, chief executive of the SMMT, said: "Final scrappage orders had to be placed by the end of March and already almost 380,000 vehicles have been registered, out of the 400,000 available."

"The scheme has provided a hugely important stimulus to the market and leaves industry in far better health than we saw in pre-scrappage 2009. Consumers will also benefit from the improved fuel efficiency, the latest safety features and cleaner tailpipe emissions available from the new vehicles purchased through the scheme ."