New car sales continue to rise

New car sales continue to rise

British motorists are snapping up new cars month on month, and sales continued to rise in August, with figures showing a rise of more than 10% on the same period in 2012.

Registration of new cars in the UK rose by 10.9% in August, as shown in figures recently released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). August was also the 18th sequential month of rises in sales of new cars.

So far in 2013, drivers in the UK have bought 1,391,788 new vehicles, which again is an increase of 10.4% more than were bought during the same time period of 2012.

With sales continuing to rise, the SMMT have updated their predictions for the year, and are now saying that they see around 2,220,000 new vehicles being sold this year. This figure places sales at 8.4% more than the total sales of 2012. All new sales for this year will bear the new 63 registration plates, which are thought to prove as popular as the 13 plates have been during the last 6 months.

Mike Hawes, the new chief exec of the SMMT, commented: "Although a traditionally small month, it bodes well for the new 63-plate in September. Meanwhile, the government announced its long-term vision for Low Emission Vehicles which includes a commitment to funding as well as strategy to make the UK the best place in Europe for the automotive sector and associated ULEV industries to invest"

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