04 October 2013

New car registrations in September rose 12.1% against the same month last year to hit the highest volumes since March 2008. Official figures from SMMT recorded 403,136 units registered in the month.

The success of the 63-plate was most noticeable in the private retail market, where 208,844 units were registered, a rise of 17.9%. That means the retail market for new cars has grown 16.7% year-to-date, outstripping overall market growth of 10.8%.

Mike Hawes, new SMMT chief executive, said: “With over 400,000 new cars registered for the first time in more than five years, the UK market is reflecting growing economic confidence.

“Robust private demand has played a major role in this growth with customers attracted by exciting, increasingly fuel-efficient new models that offer savings in the cost of ownership.

“This is the 19th consecutive month of steady growth and, with fleet and business demand still to reach pre-recession levels, we believe the performance to be sustainable. The latest 63-plate should deliver positive results into next year.”

The September success is not unexpected but comes despite comments from senior auto retail group bosses to Auto Retail Agenda that the market was “running out of steam” mid-month after a fast start.

“I think there will be an awful lot of phone calls to try and get September in share terms where all the manufacturers want it to be,” we were told.

Best selling car in the month was the Ford Fiesta with over 20,000 units registered. Fiesta is also the best selling car year-to-date, followed by the Ford Focus. BMW 1 series and 3 series are both top 10 selling models.

Full analysis of the September registration figures with regional retail breakdown will be in the next issue of Auto Retail Bulletin. For your free sample copy, register here.

Tags: 2103, Mike Hawes, sales, September, SMMT