New Car Sales Suffer 12th Successive Monthly Fall

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Thu, 07 Jul 2011

The number of new cars sold in the UK fell yet again in June, according to new figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The data shows that there were 183,125 new registrations last month, down 6.2 per cent on the June 2010 figure, but "in line with industry expectations". Private sales fell by an even larger 13.8 per cent, while company car sales rose slightly by two per cent.

The June figure means a total of 1,029,638, new cars were sold in the first half of 2011, down 7.1 per cent compared to the same six-month period last year.

SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said: "June new car registrations continued to perform in line with industry expectations, with robust demand in the fleet sector and a relatively weak retail market."

"The balance of demand makes this a tough time for vehicle manufacturers and their dealer networks.

He added: "Slow, but steady, economic growth in the second half of the year should see volumes increase, although the overall market is still expected to be around 1.93 million units.

The Ford Fiesta remained the best-selling car in June, followed by the Ford Focus and Vauxhall Corsa .