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New car market remains stable in July

NFDA 06/08/2018

“The new car market is up 1.2% in July with 1.5m vehicles sold in the year to date. With the introduction of Worldwide Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) in September 2018, we expect a strong month for new and nearly new sales vehicle sales in August as consumers will have the opportunity to find good deals in the sector”, said Sue Robinson, Director of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), which represents franchised car and commercial vehicle dealers in the UK, commenting on the latest SMMT’s new passenger car registrations figures. 

New passenger car registrations remained stable with registrations up 1.2% in the UK in July, in total 163,898 new cars were registered. Alternative fuel vehicles continued to grow by 21% during the month. Diesel registrations fell by -24.4%, whilst petrol demand was up 20.1%. Demand from private buyers was up 0.1% on the same month in 2017 and registrations by fleet businesses fell by -10.2%.

Robinson continued, “It is important to consider that a number of factors such as WLTP and VED have been affecting the market this year and will continue to do so over the next few months.

“Despite the decline of diesel, sales of alternative fuel vehicles continue to grow substantially, but their market share is still relatively small. With the introduction of the new emission testing from September, new, compliant diesel cars will remain an appealing choice for new car buyers who regularly drive long distances.

“We now look forward to a stronger than usual performance next month.”

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About the RMI

The Retail Motor Industry represents the interests of operators in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man providing sales and services to motorists and businesses. The RMI has a formal association with the independent Scottish Motor Trade Association which represents the retail motor industry in Scotland.