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Now in its fourth year in production, the fifth-generation remains popular with new car buyers in the UK, staying in the top 10 best-selling cars chart during April. An ever-consistent seventh place is its reward for last month’s sales of 3630 units, while so far this year, 15,383 units of the small Volkswagen have found homes in the UK. While that’s still short of the 42,392 Ford Fiestas sold, the evergreen Polo is still the second best-selling Volkswagen in the UK, and it’s also ahead of newer competition such as the Peugeot 208.

UK new car registrations rose 14.8 per cent in April to 163,357 units, the best April performance since 2008. There has been an increased demand for small cars among private buyers, while the supermini segment remains the largest market segment. Registrations over the first four months of 2013 increased 8.9 per cent to 768,555 units. Petrol-fuelled cars have seen their market share climb. The UK’s top 10 best-selling cars during April 2013 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 8083 (42,392, 1st)

2 Vauxhall Corsa: 6084 (30,645, 3rd)

3 Ford Focus: 5944 (31,205, 2nd)

4 Volkswagen Golf: 5283 (21,009, 5th)

5 Vauxhall Astra: 4244 (21,446, 4th)

6 Nissan Qashqai: 3761 (18,362, 6th)

7 Volkswagen Polo: 3630 (15,383, 7th)

8 Fiat 500: 3037 (12,654, 10th)

9 Peugeot 208: 2975 (14,083, 8th)

10 Audi A3: 2935


(The 2013 top 10 best-selling car absent from last month’s sales figures is the Nissan Juke in 10th place with 12,788 units sold.)

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The Polo Vivo maintained its long-standing reign at the top of the South African new passenger car sales market last month. The best-selling car in the country for April, the Polo Vivo sold 2762 units, followed, once again, by the fifth-generation Polo, of which 2160 found homes last month. The performance by the popular models contributed to the strengthening of Volkswagen Group South Africa’s leadership position in the country’s car market last month with sales of 8463 units and a market share of 24.6 per cent.

The Polo Vivo was launched in March 2010 as an entry-level model for the South African market, replacing the Series 1 Golf-based CitiGolf, and is available as a three or five-door hatchback and four-door booted saloon with 74bhp/84bhp 1.4-litre and 103bhp 1.6-litre petrol engines. Costing from R111,900 for the base-model 1.4 hatchback to R161,100 for the top 1.6 Polo Maxx, the 2013 Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo (9N3), built from 2005 to 2009. The fifth-generation Polo (6R) is available as both a three and five-door hatchback, in addition to the four-door Polo Sedan.

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Volkswagen has enjoyed another good month for sales, as both the Polo and Golf remained in the top 10 best-selling cars in the UK during March 2013. Racking up sales of 7,431 units, the small VW sat consistently in seventh place, the same position in February’s chart. Its larger brother – now with its seventh generation fully established on the UK market – was placed three places higher in fourth, with 9978 sales recorded. The Ford Fiesta continued its reign at the top of the chart, selling 22,748 examples with the arrival of the new ’13’ registration plate.

UK car registrations rose for a 13th consecutive month in March, up 5.9 per cent to 394,806 units. The supermini segment once again showed the strongest growth, up 56.6 per cent, attributable to the success of newly-introduced models. ‘Despite ongoing economic concerns, consistent monthly growth in the market is an encouraging sign of returning consumer confidence as motorists are attracted to forecourts by new models and the latest technologies,’ said SMMT Interim Chief Executive, Mike Baunton. The UK’s top 10 best-selling cars during March 2013 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 22,748 (34,309, 1st)

2 Vauxhall Corsa: 16,169 (24,561, 3rd)

3 Ford Focus: 15,434 (25,081, 2nd)
4 Volkswagen Golf: 9978 (15,726, 5th)

5 Vauxhall Astra: 9559 (17,202, 4th)

6 Nissan Qashqai: 8465 (14,601, 6th)

7 Volkswagen Polo: 7431 (11,753, 7th)

8 BMW 1 Series: 7001

9 Peugeot 208: 6726 (11,108, 8th)

10 Mercedes-Benz C-Class: 6628 (10,301, 9th)


(The 2013 top 10 best-selling car absent from last month’s sales figures is the Nissan Juke in 10th place with 10,010 units sold.)

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Volkswagen Group South Africa retains its leadership position in the passenger car market, as once again the Polo Vivo has been named as the best-selling passenger car in the country during March 2013, while the Polo dutifully supports it in second place, with sales of 2939 and 2596 respectively. Volkswagen Group South Africa sold a total of 8516 units last month, translating to a market share of 22.8 per cent. Overall, 37,596 new passenger cars were sold in South Africa during the same period.

The Polo Vivo was launched in March 2010 as an entry-level model for the South African market, replacing the Series 1 Golf-based CitiGolf, and is available as a three or five-door hatchback and four-door booted saloon with 74bhp/84bhp 1.4-litre and 103bhp 1.6-litre petrol engines. Costing from R111,900 for the base-model 1.4 hatchback to R161,100 for the top 1.6 Polo Maxx, the 2013 Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo (9N3), built from 2005 to 2009. The fifth-generation Polo (6R) is available as both a three and five-door hatchback, in addition to the four-door Polo Sedan.

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It was a story of continuing success for the Polo last month, as it remained in the top 10 UK best-selling cars chart, according to figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Holding firm in seventh place with 1437 units sold, it fended off competition from the newly-launched Peugeot 208, although when the year-to-date tallies are taken into account, the positions are reversed. The Ford Fiesta hold the number one spot for 2013 so far, but was second in February’s chart, held off the top position by the larger Focus. Volkswagen’s Golf was placed higher last month than in January, no doubt buoyed by the introduction of the new Mk 7 car, and possible buying deals on the outgoing Mk 6 model.

Overall, February’s new car figures were up 7.9 per cent to 66,749 units, with last month securing the highest growth in the private market since the end of the Scrappage Incentive Scheme in Spring 2010. ‘February is traditionally a low volume month as motorists look forward to the plate-change in March, but attractive new car deals are sustaining the market. New models are delivering ever greater fuel efficiency, practicality, refinement, technology and predictable ownership costs, so motorists are seeing the benefit of new car purchases,’ said Mike Baunton, Interim Chief Executive, SMMT. The UK’s top 10 best-selling cars during February 2013 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Focus: 38536 (9647, 2nd)

2 Ford Fiesta: 3655 (11,561, 1st)

3 Vauxhall Corsa: 3214 (8392, 3rd)
4 Volkswagen Golf: 2413 (5748, 6th)

5 Vauxhall Astra: 2181 (7643, 4th)

6 Nissan Qashqai: 1856 (6136, 5th)

7 Volkswagen Polo: 1437 (4322, 8th)

8 Peugeot 208: 1423 (4382, 7th)

9 Mercedes-Benz C-Class: 1317 (3673, 9th)

10 Nissan Juke: 1106 (3628, 10th)

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