The UK’s new car market fared much better than expected in September, growing by 8.2 per cent over the same month last year, according to sales figures issued by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
September introduced the 62-plate and a total of 359,612 new cars were registered, exceeding expectations by more than 26,000 cars.
Ford’s Fiesta takes the top-spot as the most popular new car sold — selling 18,651 — in September, narrowly beating its arch rival the Vauxhall Corsa. The Ford Focus trails close behind as the third best-seller.
"The important September plate change market outperformed expectations with new car registrations," said Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive. "Although the economic outlook remains challenging, we are starting to see a tentative return of consumer confidence as motorists explore new products and the latest fuel-efficient technologies."
So far this year, 1,620,609 new cars have been registered in the UK, with the Fiesta topping the sales chart with 88,747 sold in total. This year the market is enjoying quarter-on-quarter growth compared to last year, with growth increasing by 4.3 per cent. The venerable Volkswagen Golf is notably in the top-five, along with the Vauxhall Astra.
Average CO2 emitted by new cars is down by 3.4 per cent on last year, proving manufactures are working hard to reduce greenhouse gasses. Diesel and petrol cars are selling in equal numbers so far this year.
The SMMT currently forecasts around 1.97 million new cars will be registered in total this year.
UK’s best-selling new cars, September 2012
1 Ford Fiesta - 18,651 units sold
2 Vauxhall Corsa - 17,089 units sold
3 Ford Focus - 13,837 units sold
4 Vauxhall Astra – 9,864 units sold
5 Volkswagen Golf – 9,270
6 Mercedes-Benz C-Class – 7,948 units sold
7 BMW 3 Series – 7,726 units sold
8 Nissan Qashqai – 7,471 units sold
9 Volkswagen Polo – 7,291 units sold
10 Peugeot 208 – 6,741 units sold
