IHS: 2015 car registrations show gains across brands and segments

Following SMMT’s release of record 2015 UK car registration figures, market analysts at IHS have offered commented on the brand and model trends the numbers reveal.

“…Traditional market leader, Ford, led the way with registrations of 335,267 units, although its rate of growth was behind that of the market as a whole with a gain of 2.6 per cent year-on-year. Among the contributors to this total in the year has been its B-segment Fiesta which sold 133,434 units, while the C-segment Focus stood in third.

“Second place in the brand charts was occupied by General Motors’ (GM) Vauxhall brand, although it had a flat year with registrations up by just 0.2 per cent year-on-year to 269,766 units. While the B-segment Corsa reached second spot in the model charts with 92,077 units registered, its C-segment Astra languished in seventh place as it made the transition to a new generation. Its Mokka sub-compact crossover also made an appearance in 10th, highlighting the popularity of this type of vehicle currently.”

Meanwhile, the Volkswagen (VW) brand increased 4.2 per cent year-on-year to 223,784 units as the C-segment Golf reached fourth and the B-segment Polo was in sixth. It has to be said that this is despite the negative press associated with last year’s emissions scandal.

Elsewhere in the top 10, premium brands continue to be of significant interest in the market with BMW growing by 12.4 per cent year-on-year and Mercedes-Benz up by 16.8 per cent year-on-year, although Audi was rather lacklustre having gained by just 4.9per cent year-on-year. Another key gainer this year has been the Nissan brand which has grown by 11.3 per cent year-on-year, underpinned by the importance of its Qashqai compact crossover which was the fifth best-selling model during 2015. cja