A total of 128,853 new cars were sold in
January 2012, 42 more than the same month last year, a slight
increase of 0.03%, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers
and Traders (SMMT).
Vauxhall sales were down 20.91% compared to
January 2011 to 12,110 sales, as the manufacturer lost ground to
its rival for the biggest-selling marque in the UK, Ford, which
posted sales of 20,061, 2.06% up on last year’s figure.
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Vauxhall’s market share of 9.4% for January
2012 was down on both January 2011 (11.89%) and 2011 overall
(12.09%) while Ford’s market share of 15.57% was above January 2011
(15.26%) and the previous 12-month average (13.7%).
According to car finance brokers, Ford and the Focus were still
treading water behind Vauxhall and the Astra for 2011 but
January’s figures have confirmed the US marque’s retail market
share rose from 13.1% to 14.6% with the Fiesta and Focus the
best-selling models for the month.
The Fiesta sold 7,824 units and accounted for
6.1% of new car sales, while the manufacturer also reported
increased sales for the Ka, the Mondeo and the C-Max range.
Big brand swing
It was also a good month for the majority of
big brands in the UK. Of those brands selling at least a thousand
cars in January 2012, 14 sold more than in January 2011 with
notable gains for Chevrolet – 2,064 new registrations compared to
939 in January 2011 – and both Kia and Land Rover who saw sales
growth of just over 38%.
Five brands lost sales, however, with BMW
dropping 28.39% in new registrations compared to January 2011, and
Renault losing 27.54%.
Other notable movements included not a single
new Daihatsu being registered; 107 MGs being sold (compared to two
in January 2011);
under-administration Saab sold four units, down from 452;
and
SsangYong, GMAC’s new manufacturing partner, which is predicting
over 2,000 sales in 2012, sold 43 units, having sold just three
in the same period last year.
Express releases
Several major brands to post positive figures
have responded with press releases to breakdown their good
results.
Mercedes-Benz registrations
for January 2012 were up 20% on January 2011 at 6,249 vehicles,
giving the brand 4.85% market share for the month, up on its 4.22%
market share for the previous 12 months.
Fleet, which has been a big driver for the marque, saw
registrations 32% up on January 2011, with customer purchases up
20.5% to 1,571 new cars, 25.14% of sales.
Notable models for the brand were the A-Class
hatchback, selling 791 cars, up 20% on January 2011; E-Class
saloon, selling 940 cars, up 34%; and the E-Class estate, selling
327 cars, up 82%. Allied brand Smart performed well, too, with the
fortwo model selling 385 units, up 89%.
Kia is now expecting a
“best-ever” year for 2012, according to UK MD Michael Cole.
The Korean manufacturer registered 4,282 new
units in January, a 38.3% rise on the same period last year,
divided between 2,010 retail sales (33.6% up) and 2,272 fleet sales
(42.4% up).
Peugeot’s new car sales were
up 6.4%, split between an 8.8% rise in fleet and a 3.2% rise in
customer sales. The brand attributes its growth to the start of the
‘Drive Away Happy’ incentive, alongside the ‘Just Add Fuel’ deal,
offering customers a self-contained insurance and servicing
package.
Nissan European sales rose
15% year-on-year for January, 21.47% in the UK, shifting a total of
55,098 units, some 20,000 of which are estimated to have been
Sunderland-built Qashqais.
The brand was the eighth-biggest seller in the
UK for January with 6,285 sales, above 5,174 sales in January 2010
and an 8.57% month-on-month rise.
Isuzu sales in the UK for
2011 beat those of Turkey and France to top the brand’s European
markets for the first time.
The 97-outlet network for Isuzu in the UK sold
2,431 pick-up trucks last year, 11% more than 2010, accounting for
17% of all European sales.
An independent rise
The SMMT figures show Scotland was the only UK
region to see a rise in car sales in January 2012.
The registration of 10,349 new units for the
month was 6.76% up on January 2011, accounting for 8.1% of all new
registrations in the UK (minus the Channel Islands and the Isle of
Man), up on the 7.99% of December 2011 sales but down on the 8.64%
average for the past year.
Registrations of new vehicles in England
shrank slightly, making up 84.3% of all new sales in January 2012,
down from 87.72% of sales in December 2011 and 85.45% for all of
2011, but close to January 2011’s figure of 84.39%.
New car sales were down in both Northern
Ireland (by 6.46%) and Wales (by 4.33%) in January,
year-on-year.
richard.brown@vrlfinancialnews.com
