April New Car Registrations Fall Four per cent

179,457 new cars left showrooms last month, down 4.0 per cent on April 2004, according to figures released today by the SMMT. The diesel market rose 6.6 per cent in April, up 4.5 per cent over the year-to-date.

“On five of the last six occasions, new car registrations have received a boost immediately after a general election”, commented Christopher Macgowan, SMMT chief executive. “However, March figures showed that the market had already started to pick up after a disappointing start to the year. April’s dip has largely been dominated by MG Rover but it seems that the crisis has not had a significant effect on consumer confidence across the wider industry. The market remains healthy with registrations expected to hit 2.45 million units by the end of the year.”