Industry boost as car sales racing ahead
New car sales raced ahead again last month, buoyed by rising consumer confidence, according to industry experts.
There were 185,778 new registrations in April – a 5.1 per cent rise on the same month last year – figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed.
Ford's Fiesta and Focus are still in top place as the UK's best loved cars.
But there was mixed news for West Midlands-based luxury car maker Jaguar Land Rover. While sales of its Land Rovers were up 27 per cent compared to April 2014, the numbers for its Jaguars were down by five per cent.
This could be because customers are waiting to get a look at the new XE 'baby Jag' sports saloon, with its Wolverhampton-built Ingenium diesel engine and £27,000 price tag.
Production is now under way at Solihull and the first cars are due in showrooms in June.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: "The figures highlight the current strength of consumer confidence, even at a time of such political uncertainty.
"We are confident that the UK's new car market – so symbolic of economic mood –will continue to thrive, but long-term success will depend largely on economic and political stability in the months and years ahead.
"Whatever the outcome of today's election, the next government must act quickly to uphold economic certainty and reassure consumers and markets."
Jag-buyers will also be hanging on for the new version of its best-selling XF saloon, which is due out towards the end of this year, while the F-Pace crossover – half high performance sports estate, half 4x4 – is expected early next year.
JLR's sales reflected a mixed bag for auto makers last month, but overall the industry is still looking strong.
April's sales hike took UK car sales for the year so far figure 920,366 – a 6.4 per cent rise on January-April 2014.
April was also the 38th successive month of growth in new car sales and the best April performance for 10 years, although sales were less than half those of those in March, which was boosted by the new '15' registration plate.
While figures overall were up, the picture among the car makers was much more uneven.
Underlining the message about consumer confidence, top German brands Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi all did well, along with French marques Renault, Peugeot and Citroen.
But the UK's biggest seller, Ford, and Vauxhall were both down by three per cent, to 25,018 and 16,520 respectively after selling more than 100,000 between them in March. Volkswagen crept into second place in the sales league table last month with a 12 per cent hike to 18,690.
Honda, which makes its Civic at Swindon, saw sales slump by 19 per cent but the BMW-owned Mini, made at Cowley, had a storming month with sales up nearly 1,000 to 3,938.
