New car registrations have fallen 1.1 per cent in October, ending 43 consecutive months of rises.
The total number of cars registered during the month was 177,664 according to latest figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Total sales so far this year stand at 2,274,500 units, though – up 6.4 per cent on last year.
The fall is being partly blamed by the Volkswagen emissions scandal, with the German brand suffering a 9.84 per cent fall. Sister brands SEAT and Skoda – the leading brands involved in the scandal – saw falls of 32.23 per cent and 3.03 per cent respectively. Audi, however, saw sales rise by just over two per cent.
SMMT chief Mike Hawes told BBC Radio 5 Live this morning the VW scandal did not only have an impact on sales for the brands involved, but also affected new car sales in general. He said the scandal made some new car buyers think twice about purchasing a new car while others are taking extra time to find out more information.
In an official statement, Hawes said: “The UK car market has gone through a period of unprecedented growth and, so far, 2015 has been a bumper year with the strongest performance since the recession.
“As expected, demand has now begun to level off but the sector is in a strong position, as low interest rates, consumer confidence and exciting new products combine to attract new car buyers. The current full-year growth forecast remains on track.”
Meanwhile the Ford Fiesta continues to be the best-selling car in Britain. The supermini clocked up 8,577 registrations in October while so far this year 116,631 Fiestas have been registered. VW Group cars continued to be in the top 10 best-sellers chart – the VW Golf ranked third with 5,057, the Audi A3 finished in sixth with 3,884 and the Polo in seventh with 3,233.