- New car demand fell by 4.2% in November to 134,027 units, but was some 5,000 units above forecast.
- Diesel and alternatively fuelled cars both took record market shares in the November market.
- Average new car fuel efficiency improved 29.3% in last 10 years, giving the highest ever mpg.
- New car registrations over the first 11 months of 2011 were down 4.5%, at 1,822,065 units.
- Market looks set to better full year forecast of 1.923 million units, but caution remains over 2012.
“While the November new car market saw a 4.2% dip, the fuel efficiency of new models broke all records with the average new car achieving 52.5mpg,” said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. “Despite the Chancellor delaying the 3p rise in fuel duty, our cost of fuel is still among the highest in Europe, so customers are sure to welcome the 29.3% improvement in new car fuel efficiency over the last 10 years, a demonstration of industry’s commitment to delivering good value to motorists.”
Average new car miles per gallon (mpg) 2001 to YTD 2011
| November | Total | Diesel | Petrol | AFV | Private | Fleet | Business |
| 2011 | 134,027 | 74,539 | 57,342 | 2,146 | 54,260 | 74,638 | 5,129 |
| 2010 | 139,875 | 74,168 | 63,955 | 1,752 | 64,352 | 69,442 | 6,081 |
| % change | -4.2% | 0.5% | -10.3% | 22.5% | -15.7% | 7.5% | -15.7% |
| Mkt share ’11 | 55.6% | 42.8% | 1.6% | 40.5% | 55.7% | 3.8% | |
| Mkt share ’10 | 53.0% | 45.7% | 1.3% | 46.0% | 49.6% | 4.3% | |
| Year-to-date | Total | Diesel | Petrol | AFV | Private | Fleet | Business |
| 2011 | 1,822,065 | 920,983 | 877,481 | 23,601 | 777,792 | 951,278 | 92,995 |
| 2010 | 1,907,029 | 873,899 | 1,011,657 | 21,473 | 905,922 | 909,230 | 91,877 |
| % change | -4.5% | 5.4% | -13.3% | 9.9% | -14.1% | 4.6% | 1.2% |
| Mkt share ’11 | 50.5% | 48.2% | 1.3% | 42.7% | 52.2% | 5.1% | |
| Mkt share ’10 | 45.8% | 53.0% | 1.1% | 47.5% | 47.7% | 4.8% |
| Best sellers | November | Year-to-date | |||||||||||
| 1 | Fiesta | 6,195 | 1 | Fiesta | 90,701 | ||||||||
| 2 | Corsa | 5,234 | 2 | Focus | 77,785 | ||||||||
| 3 | Golf | 4,924 | 3 | Corsa | 72,493 | ||||||||
| 4 | Focus | 4,910 | 4 | Golf | 59,337 | ||||||||
| 5 | Astra | 4,518 | 5 | Astra | 57,719 | ||||||||
| 6 | Polo | 3,306 | 6 | Insignia | 43,830 | ||||||||
| 7 | Qashqai | 3,274 | 7 | Polo | 43,250 | ||||||||
| 8 | 3 Series | 2,898 | 8 | 3 Series | 40,212 | ||||||||
| 9 | MINI | 2,834 | 9 | Qashqai | 36,826 | ||||||||
| 10 | C-Class | 2,540 | 10 | MINI | 33,139 | ||||||||
Market beats expectations in November, but concerns over outlook heighten after Autumn Statement
- New car registrations were just 0.9% lower than a year ago in the last three months, and volumes over the past six months were also only down a modest 1.8%. However, the market continues to trend some 20% below pre-recession levels.
- Market stability in recent months is at odds with growing concerns over the economic setting. Whilst the Autumn Statement announced some welcome measures to stimulate growth, the latest forecasts for the UK economy and concerns over the Eurozone are unsettling.
- The market continues to be supported by growth in the fleet market and customer incentives.
- SMMT’s full year 2011 forecast, as set in September, was 1.923 million units. The market looks set to better this, ending close to 1.94 million units, after the market has once again exceeded expectations last month.
- Registrations in November at 134,027 units were down 4.2%. This marked the ninth decline this year, although registrations were up in both August and October.
- Supported by the fleet market and consumers investing in industry’s most efficient products, diesel cars achieved a record 55.6% share of the market in November, whilst alternatively-fuelled cars took a record 1.6% market share.
- The Ford Fiesta remained the best selling model in both November and over the year-to-date.
- The Dual Purpose segment rose by 18.5% in November, boosted by the success of new models. The largest segment, Superminis, saw a modest fall but their market share rose to 34.6%, from 33.9% a year ago.
Click through to download the full November 2011 new car registrations news release and data table.
