10:43 pm, February 3, 2011
JANUARY saw new car registrations fall 11.5 per cent the latest figures published by the SMMT reveal.
Registrations fell to 128,811 units with the month on par with the SMMT’s figures.
However, registrations were up 8 per cent if cars sold as a result of the scrappage scheme are not included.
Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive, said: ‘New car registrations fell by 11.5 per cent in January. This is in line with SMMT forecasts and marks the beginning of a challenging year for the UK motor industry.
‘Consumer confidence is low and it is important that government uses the March Budget to help relieve some of the financial pressure on motorists by freezing fuel duty, while providing stability and certainty on motoring taxes. Despite the challenging conditions, the demand for low CO2 emitting and highly fuel efficient cars continues to grow.’
The Ford Focus topped the January sales table with 7,582 sales, with the Fiesta second selling 5,844 units, and the Vauxhall Astra following in third with 4,510 cars.
