New Car Sales In The UK Surge

Sales of new cars in the UK surpassed the million mark for the first six months of 2014 in what analysts say is the best half-year results since 2005. In total, there was a 10.6% increase in sales for the same period with 1,287,265 units sold. The month of June was slightly lower than the average for the half-year, with sales in the month reaching 228,291 units, an increase of 6.2% compared to June 2013.

According to the society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), this is the 28th consecutive month of growth and apparently there is no end in sight. Sales for the year are expected to top the 2.4 million mark, which will be an overall 6% growth over 2013.

Much of the demand is for alternative-fuelled vehicles, according to the SMMT. In the first six months, some 23,337 of these vehicles have been sold, a 51.3% increase. Registration of pure electric vehicles has increased dramatically as well.

The most popular car is still the Ford Fiesta but competition is coming from the Vauxhall Corsa, and the Ford Focus is also making the year’s top ten list along with the Nissan Qashqai, Fiat 500 and VW Golf; no real surprises there except the lack of a Toyota model.

SMMT’s Chief Executive, Mike Hawes, said, ‘Improving economic conditions have helped propel the UK new car market to a strong first half-year performance.

‘Key to attracting consumers is the ever-improving efficiency of new cars. The overall market has risen faster than we were expecting but, after a bumper March, growth is showing signs of stabilising around our forecast level.’

image: uk.finance.yahoo.com