UK car sales decrease 9.3% to 426,170 units in September

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) release dated on October 5, UK car sales decreased 9.3% to 426,170 units in September 2017.
Year-to-date sales decreased 3.9%, with 2,066,411 cars registered in the first nine months of 2017.
September sales for Ford decreased 19.1% to 39,696 units (9.3% market share) and Volkswagen sales increased 7.7% to 36,332 units (8.5% share), while BMW sales decreased 3.5% to 31,465 units (7.4% share).
Mercedes-Benz sales in September decreased 1.7% to 31,430 units (7.4% share) and Vauxhall sales decreased 25.5% to 31,058 units (7.3% share).
Of the five most popular vehicles in September, 13,499 Nissan Qashqais; 12,800 Volkswagen Golfs; 10,826 Ford Fiestas; 10,235 Ford Focuses; and 8,562 Vauxhall Corsas were sold.
Compared to last September, gasoline-engine car sales decreased by 1.2% to 232,810 units (54.6% share), diesel-engine car sales decreased 21.7% to 170,732 units (40.1% share), and alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) sales increased 41.0% to 22,628 units (5.3% share).
In September, private car sales decreased 8.8% to 204,055 units (47.9% share), fleet sales decreased 10.1% to 200,289 units (47.0% share), and sales to businesses decreased 5.2% to 21,826 units (5.1% share).
Sales of all vans to 3.5 tons decreased 4.2% this September to 57,368 units.
Sales of trucks between 3.5 and 6.0 tons decreased 20.9% to 909 units in September.
Sales of taxis were 198 units in September.
Mike Hawes, CEO of SMMT said "September is always a barometer of the health of the UK new car market so this decline will cause considerable concern. Business and political uncertainty is reducing buyer confidence, with consumers and businesses more likely to delay big ticket purchases. The confusion surrounding air quality plans has not helped, but consumers should be reassured that all the new diesel and petrol models on the market will not face any bans or additional charges. Manufacturers’ scrappage schemes are proving popular and such schemes are to be encouraged given fleet renewal is the best way to address environmental issues in our towns and cities."
(SMMT press releases from October 5, 2017) 1 / 2