December car sales surge - Auto Trader UK - News and Reviews Hub
December saw a 38.9 per cent rise in new car sales, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
A total of 150,936 new cars were registered during the month, making it the third best December on record and the highest since 2005.
There was a 21 per cent surge in sales during the second half of 2009. This has largely been attributed to consumers looking to avoid January?s VAT increase and benefit from scrappage, with over a fifth of all new cars sold through the scheme since its launch in May.
Following a 25.9 per cent drop in registrations over the first six months of the year, overall figures for 2009 were down 6.4 per cent to 1,994,999 units ? the lowest level since 1995.
With the scheme due to end in February, the overall new car market is forecast to fall below 1.8 million sales in 2010.
SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said, ?The 2009 market of 1,994,999 new car registrations was significantly above early expectations, and reflects the positive impact of the scrappage incentive scheme.?
This scheme has been partly responsible for the increasing popularity of small cars; the best sellers of 2009 were the Ford Fiesta and Focus along with the Vauxhall Corsa. View images of the new Ford Fiesta
Sales of such small cars have helped to reduce average CO2 emissions by 5.4% on 2008 levels, to just 149.5g/km.
Top ten biggest sellers of 2009:
1 Fiesta 117,296
2 Focus 93,517
3 Corsa 84,478
4 Astra 67,729
5 Golf 57,187
6 207 48,037
7 MINI 39,866
8 3 Series 39,029
9 Insignia 36,040
10 Mondeo 34,418
Rhian Angharad Jones
Could you scrap your car for £2,000? Find out on Auto Trader?s scrappage site
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