Car registrations slump again
* Second consecutive drop in sales * Down 17.5% compared with 2009 * 2010 will end slightly up, however...
New car registrations fell for the second month in a row in August and the downward trend is expected to continue for the rest of the year.
Sales fell by 17.5% compared with August 2009, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). A total of 55,305 cars were registered last month.
Although the SMMT predicts registrations will continue to be down on monthly 2009 figures for the remainder of the year, it is also forecasting year-end figures to be 1.2% up thanks to a strong start to 2010. In all, the SMMT reckons two million new cars will be registered by the end of the 2010.
Diesel-powered cars accounted for more than half of the market for the second month in a row, with 52.6% of all registrations, while superminis still dominate the top 10 best sellers.
Top 10 best-sellers
Position
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10In August
Ford Fiesta
Ford Focus
Vauxhall Astra
Vauxhall Corsa
BMW 3 Series
Volkswagen Golf
Nissan Qashqai
Vauxhall Insignia
Volkswagen Polo
Audi A3Registered
2660
1926
1906
1629
1600
1511
1456
1193
1193
1037Year-to-date
Ford Fiesta
Ford Focus
Vauxhall Astra
Vauxhall Corsa
Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen Polo
Peugeot 207
BMW 3 Series
Mini
Nissan QashqaiRegistered
66,863
54,448
53,449
51,147
37,171
30,574
27,880
25,849
25,189
24,836
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