Car registration figures for 2013 appear to show that consumer confidence is increasing, with 2,264,737 cars registered in 2013, up 10.8 per cent on 2012. This exceeds the SMMT’s 2.25 million forecast for the year and is the highest annual registration total since 2007. December was the 22nd consecutive monthly rise.
The latest batch of UK vehicle production statistics covering the month of November 2013 was released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) just before Christmas.
UK car production rose 4.5 per cent in first 11 months of year to 1,424,023 units, the SMMT reports. This means that output looks set to pass 1.5 million units in 2013, the first time this has occurred in six years.
SMMT figures reveal that new car registrations rose seven per cent in November to 159,581 units, the month’s best performance since 2004. 2,111,819 cars have been registered for the year-to-date, up 9.9 per cent and already ahead of the 2012 full-year figure of 2,044,609. This means that the car market is on target to hit the SMMT forecast of 2.25 million registrations for 2013.
Total commercial vehicle registrations were up strongly in November, rising by 22.7 per cent to 28,057 units in the month says the SMMT. The year-to-date CV market is up 10.9 per cent at 294,991 units and on track to top 300,000 units for first time in five years.
With 26 days till the end of the year, the latest year-to-date new car registration figures collated by the SMMT show that that registrations have been strong across the UK, but especially in Wales. Every country in the union registered near double-digit growth, with the slowest growth (9.48 per cent) taking place in bar far the largest part of the market – England. Here registrations in the period totalled 1.781 million from 1.627 million last year.
The SMMT has released figures showing that in October domestic demand supported the biggest monthly increase in 2013 UK car manufacturing
Car output in October rose 17.4 per cent to 160,854 units, the largest monthly increase so far this year. 1,286,287 cars have been produced in the year-to-date; a rise of 5.4 per cent.
Motor Trader magazine, which focuses on dealer activities, has reported that last minute self-registration activity distorted the record breaking September plate change, with over a quarter of the month’s volumes being registered on the closing day of the month. But could the heady days of growing registration figures be over? Some analysts believe strengthening markets elsewhere could knock the UK market back.
While UK car output provided good news for the industry, commercial vehicles remained in steep decline, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders figures show. CV output dropped 27.5 per cent in September to 6,963 units, meaning 67,609 CVs have been produced in 2013 to date, down 17.9 per cent from 2012.
The September report from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders makes good reading for the UK car industry, as output has reached a level not seen since 2007-08. In the rolling 12 months since October 2012, the UK has manufactured more than 1.5 million, achieving a five-year high.
The new 63 registration plate boosted the car market for September, seeing it rise 12.1 per cent to hit 403,136 registrations, according to figures released by the SMMT. This made September 2013 the best performing month since March 2008 with the highest volume in 66 months. Private registrations have risen 16.7 per cent over year-to-date, helping the overall market rise 10.8 per cent. More than 1 in 7 new cars registered in the month is UK-built.
SMMT figures show that bus and coach registrations were up 13.5 per cent to 1,036 units in September. However, registrations for the overall bus and coach market remain down 12.8 per cent for the year-to-date.
With rises in the number of registrations of buses, coaches and cars in September, the commercial vehicle sector continued the good news, with total CV registrations performing strongly in the month, up 12.4 per cent to 49,197 units. This means the overall commercial vehicle market is up 8.1 per cent for the year-to-date, at 239,356 units.
New light commercial vehicle figures released today show overall sales were up 12.4 per cent in September and up 8.1 per cent year-to-date. Van sales increased by 10.3 per cent last month, whilst truck demand rose by 29.7 per cent.
Bentley could use a diesel engine for the first time in its history in the SUV which was recently confirmed for production.
Speaking at the Frankfurt Motor Show, CEO Dr Wolfgang Schreiber said: "We will investigate a diesel engine. In that platform (the Bentley will share its underpinnings with the Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q7 and VW Touareg) a diesel engine will be implemented, anyway, so it could make sense. The numbers in Europe could be very high."
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