Sue Robinson, Director of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), has welcomed the SMMT’s confirmation that new registrations for 2016 have passed the 2.5m mark.

Robinson commented: “2016 has been an exceptional year for the retail motor industry with over 2.5 million new cars units registered in the year to date. The sector has performed well in November with 184,101 units registered. The steady growth benefits our members not only with sales, but also the increased demand for servicing and repair work for these vehicles”.

The SMMT figures showed new passenger car registrations rose 2.9% in November with 184,101 units. On a year to date basis the UK new car market stands at 2,514,764 units, 2.5% more than in 2015. Alternative fuelled vehicles grew by 25.1% to 6,663 units and now have a market share of 3.6%.

Robinson continued, “Fleet sales are currently driving the market, up 5.1%. The overall growth in what is usually a quiet month is extremely positive and annual figures are still projected to reach over 2.67 million of units, meaning a slight increase on last year’s record results. We are now looking forward to see what the market has in store for the last month of 2016.”