According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) on August 4, UK car sales decreased 9.3% to 161,997 units in July 2017.
Year-to-date sales decreased 2.2%, with 1,563,808 cars registered in the first seven months of 2017.
July sales for Ford decreased 23.9% to 16,934 units (10.5% market share) and Volkswagen sales increased 0.4% to 14,094 units (8.7% share), while Audi sales increased 11.3% to 12,896 units (8.0% share).
Mercedes-Benz sales in July decreased 0.3% to 11,617 units (7.2% share) and Vauxhall sales decreased 41.6% to 11,528 units (7.1% share).
Of the five most popular vehicles in July, 5,251 Ford Focuses; 5,236 Volkswagen Golfs; 4,640 Nissan Qashqais; 3,372 Ford Fiestas; and 3,227 Volkswagen Polos were sold.
Compared to last July, gasoline-engine car sales decreased by 3.0% to 83,969 units (51.8% share), diesel-engine car sales decreased 20.1% to 69,157 units (42.7% share), and alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) sales increased 64.9% to 8,871 units (5.5% share).
In July, private car sales decreased 6.8% to 67,705 units (41.8% share), fleet sales decreased 10.1% to 89,186 units (55.1% share), and sales to businesses decreased 23.8% to 5,106 units (3.2% share).
Sales of all vans to 3.5 tons increased 1.1% this July to 24,766 units.
Sales of trucks between 3.5 and 6.0 tons decreased 2.4% to 444 units in July.
Sales of taxis were 8 units in July.
Mike Hawes, CEO of SMMT said "The fall in consumer and business confidence is having a knock on effect on demand in the new car market and government must act quickly to provide concrete plans regarding Brexit. While it's encouraging to see record achievements for alternatively fuelled vehicles, consumers considering other fuel types will have undoubtedly been affected by the uncertainty surrounding the government's clean air plans.  It is important to remember that there are no plans to charge drivers using the latest Euro 6 models and no proposed bans for conventional petrol and diesel vehicles for some 23 years. The lower demand in recent months will inevitably mean competition from manufacturers will intensify and it will be a good opportunity for consumers to get a great deal on their next car, with many exciting new models launched in the coming months."

(SMMT press releases from August 4, 2017) 1 / 2