Car and Van News

The UK new car market has started 2013 in confident mood with registrations surging by 11.5 per cent in January.

The growth, to a total of 143,643 units, was again led by private registrations which climbed 15.9 per cent.

Britain’s new car market may be booming but it’s a very different story on the commercial vehicle side of the showroom.

Van sales slid almost eight per cent in 2012, and evidence suggests the decline is gathering pace.

Britain’s car buyers appear to be ignoring the air of economic gloom – the new car market surged more than five per cent in 2012 to top 2 million for the first time in four years.

The figures, in stark contrast to mainland Europe where car sales are struggling, came on the back of mushrooming demand amongst private buyers.

Britain’s new car sales market is continuing its upward climb, bucking the trend in the rest of Europe.

Registrations of new cars jumped 11.3 per cent in November, bolstering a 5.4 per cent growth rate through 2012 as a whole.

Car manufacturing in the UK returned to growth in October, up 6.5 per cent after a 5.8 per cent slide in September.

CV output was up too, a rise of 5.0 per cent following a slump of more than 20 per cent in September.

Van sales executives in commercial vehicle dealerships have endured another month of looking enviously at their car colleagues, as the slip in sales figures continues.

Van registrations in October dropped by 8.1 per cent, with 17,794 units leaving dealerships.

Registrations of new cars rose again in October as the UK market bucked the slides of mainland Europe.

The rise of more than 12 per cent has resulted in industry bosses again revising their 2012 full-year predictions upwards, to more than 2 million units.