The Ford Fiesta was the first car to breach the 50,000-sale mark this year, but overall sales in the UK car market continue to decline.
Figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed that new car sales fell by 3.5 per cent compared to June 2017, with 234,945 units sold in the month just gone.
This latest month of decreasing sales means that registrations for the first six months of 2018 are down 6.3 per cent when put up against last year’s stats – with diesel sales down by 28.2 per cent, a 15thconsecutive month of decline.
Good news for manufacturers was that both petrol and alternatively-fuelled vehicle sales were up by 12.3 per cent and 45 per cent respectively.
Last month’s best-selling list was headed by the Ford Fiesta, which was sold 8,900 times – pushing it up to 56,415 sales this year – while the Volkswagen Golf (6,873) and Vauxhall Corsa (6,076) were in second and third.
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Mikes Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “Despite a rocky first six months for the new car market, it’s great to see demand for alternatively-fuelled vehicles continue to rise. Given these cars still represent only one in 20 registrations, however, they cannot yet have the impact in driving down overall emissions that conventional vehicles, including diesels, continue to deliver.
“Recent government statements acknowledging the importance of petrol and diesel are encouraging. However, we now need a strategy that supports industry investment into next generation technologies and puts motorists back in the driving seat, encouraged to buy the car that best suits their needs – whatever its fuel type.”
