The boss of the motor dealer’s trade body, the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), Sue Robinson has given a cautious welcome to the publication of figures for 2016 which saw almost 2.7 million new cars registered in the UK for the full year.

Robinson said, “New passenger car registrations reached an annual all-time high in 2016 with a total 2.69 million units registered, 2.3% more than last year, despite an uncertain political and economic landscape. This slowdown was expected towards the end of the year and we believe that the segments of the market that saw an increase in December and have consistently performed well throughout the year, such as alternative fuel vehicles, will continue to drive the growth in the upcoming months.

“The retail automotive industry has showed its resilience in 2016 and proved its key role in the UK economy. As economic and political changes happen in the near future, we hope that economic measures will be put in place to protect consumer confidence and the interests of our industry. Although we are aware of the challenges ahead, we are looking forward to seeing what the new year has in store.”