UK supermini sales up says SMMT,
Polo eighth best-selling car in August
According to the latest batch of UK sales figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ (SMMT), the supermini segment rose by 17.6% to account for 37.3% of the overall August market. Taking advantage of the downsizing trend, the Polo was still the eighth best-selling car in the UK, with 1467 cars finding new owners. It was a good month for Volkswagen, as the Passat was placed at number seven (1526 units) and the Golf at number four (1995 units). The Polo’s long-standing nemesis the Ford Fiesta was once again the top-seller, with 3213 sales recorded. The Vauxhall Corsa was runner-up with 2901 examples shifted. Despite the upturn in sales of smaller cars, August is expected to be the smallest volume monthly new car market in 2011. In 2010 it accounted for just 2.7% of the market. The new ‘61’ number plate was launched on 1 September.
‘New car registrations in August rose for the first time since June 2010, up 7.3% to 59,346 units. August represents a small share of the new car market and the September new 61-plate registrations will be far more important for vehicle manufacturers and franchised dealers,’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. ‘The September new car market is always important for the UK motor industry, accounting for around 17% of the full year’s registrations. Consumers are nervous about the future, but with unprecedented improvements in fuel economy, competitive finance offers and a wide variety of new models, buyers will find there is something to suit every taste and pocket.’ The UK’s top 10 best-selling cars in August 2011 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:
1 Ford Fiesta: 3213 (61,551, 1st)
2 Vauxhall Corsa: 2901 (46,620, 3rd)
3 Ford Focus: 2858 (52,918, 2nd)
4 Volkswagen Golf: 1995 (39,385, 4th)
5 BMW 3 Series: 1739 (27,298, 8th)
6 Vauxhall Astra: 1613 (38,580, 5th)
7 Volkswagen Passat: 1526
8 Volkswagen Polo: 1467 (28,048, 7th)
9 Nissan Qashqai: 1312 (24,695, 9th)
10 Audi A3: 1125
(The 2011 year-to-date top 10 best-sellers absent from August’s sales figures are the Vauxhall Insignia, selling 31,063 units in 6th place and the Peugeot 207, selling 21,402 units in 10th place.)
