THERE was very little surprise that new car sales fell away in September as new WLTP rules came into effect but the size of the drop raised a few eyebrows.
It was generally thought the market would take hit of a little north of 10% but a fall of 20% was down 87,000 vehicles over September 2017 to 338,834 according to SMMT data.
The impact was felt across the board, with registrations by private consumers, fleets and businesses all declining, by -20.1%, -22.4% and -6.3% respectively. Registrations of petrol and diesel cars also fell, while hybrids and plug-in electrics fared better, up a modest 3.9%.
Declines were seen across almost every vehicle segment, with MPVs and Specialist Sports cars showing the biggest falls, down -54.8 and -50.9%.
Luxury saloons were the only segment to register growth, up +3.5%, while Dual Purpose cars, which have enjoyed strong growth over the year to date, held steadier than most, falling just -3.5% in the month.
September’s large decline follows an unusually high August and a turbulent first eight months of the year as the market responded to a raft of upheavals, from confusion over diesel policy to VED changes and, latterly, transition to the new WLTP emissions standards.
Year-to-date performance is currently 7.5% behind 2017, reflecting these factors and a drop in business and consumer confidence. Over the coming months, however, some rebalancing is expected as an increasing range of new models are certified for sale and backlogs ease.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said: “With the industry given barely a year to reapprove the entire European model line-up, it’s no surprise that we’ve seen bottlenecks and a squeeze on supply.
“These are exceptional circumstances with similar declines seen in other major European markets. The good news is that, as backlogs ease, consumers and businesses can look forward to a raft of exciting high-tech cars and a market keen to recover lost momentum.”
From 1 September, all cars sold in the EU have to undergo a new test called the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP).
The test measures all regulated emissions, as well as CO2and fuel economy. Like the old test it replaces, it is conducted in controlled laboratory conditions for consistency across every test and every new vehicle in every country.
This has hit some carmakers harder than others as the struggle to get the sheer volume of cars through the new testing procedure.
Hardest hit in September appears to have been Vauxhall and the Volkswagen Group. VW brand was down 55%, Audi fell 29%, Seat 36% an Skoda 31%. Vauxhall fell a staggering 143% to just 28,847.
Kia, one of the few gainers, up 3% to 16,299 vehicles, outsold the VW brand for the first time in the UK. There was also a notable rise for Jaguar sales, up 19% while smaller volume marques such as Aston Martin, MG and Subaru also made gains.
Leave A Comment