The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has just released the new car registrations data for September 2011 which saw 332,476 new cars registered, down 0.8% on last year. The main growth in the new car sector came from “Fleet” registrations (companies who have a fleet of vehicles greater than 25 vehicles) which grew by 7.3%, while private registrations were down by 9.3%. 

Business (sub-25 fleets) also reported a 13.4% growth year-on-year from 18,266 units in 2010, to 20,707 in 2011. The SMMT expects the full new year car market to end 5.3% lower than 2010, at around 1.92 million units. Average new car CO2 emissions also fell by 4.0% to 138.5g/km and the top car models sold in September were as follows;

1. Fiesta – 15,647
2. Focus – 14,754
3. Corsa – 14,339
4. Golf – 10,628
5. Astra – 10,462
6. Polo – 8,607
7. Insignia – 7,323
8. MINI – 6,903
9. 3 Series – 6,352
10. Qashqai – 6,068

Vauxhall car accessories

If you drive a Vauxhall and you are thinking of driving your car on your summer holiday this year then you might be interested to know that Vauxhall has launched an exclusive range of journey enhancing accessories.

For example Vauxhall’s iConnect FM plays your tunes from your iPad or MP3 player through the radio and costs just £130 (this includes the fitting as well). Removeable window privacy shades ensure your young children can be protected from the glare of the sun and prices start from only £42.

Or, if you have an active lifestyle and need vehicle-specific roof bars, designed for your Vauxhall (Insignia, Astra, Corsa etc) then the Vauxhall base carriers start from £110 with bike and kayak racks starting from £65. Full details of all Vauxhall vehicle accessories can be found at www.Vauxhall.co.uk/accessories

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, (SMMT), has announced that April new car market registrations fell by 7.4% to 137,746 units, however this figure was ahead of expectations by 1.5%.

Registrations for the first 4 months of the year are down 8.5% to 696,082, but the full-year figure forecast remains the same at 1.93 million units. Fleet business (25+vehicle registrations) was up by 6.5% in April and diesel sales also recorded a strong growth.

The top 10 selling cars in April were as follows;

1. Ford Fiesta -6,755 units
2. Volkswagen Golf – 4,973 units
3. Vauxhall Astra – 4,900 units
4. Vauxhall Corsa 4,888 units
5. Ford Focus – 4,843 units
6. Volkswagen Polo – 4,524 units
7. Vauxhall Insignia- 3,912 units
8. Nissan Qashqai- 3,738 units
9. BMW 3 Series – 3,133 units
10. Volkswagen Passat -2,720 units

Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive, said,”New car registrations in April demonstrated continued stability in the marketplace, with demand remaining lower than in 2010, although slightly ahead of industry expectations. The coming months will remain challenging, but we do expect to see a return to growth in the second half of the year”.

If you are thinking of getting a new car for your business, car leasing is a cost-effective way of financing and we have prices on all makes and models on the site now.

Vauxhall Corsa

Vauxhall dominated February’s car sales last month with a total of 9,812 cars registered, led by strong sales of the Vauxhall Corsa which recorded sales of 2,617. The Astra was Vauxhall’s next best selling model, followed by the Insignia, Zafira and Meriva.

The company offers a Lifetime Warranty on its cars and Duncan Aldred, Vauxhall’s Managing Director, said,” Vauxhall is making headway like never before in the British car market. Last month proved that we are now capable of attracting more customers than any other manufacturer, and this is down to the strength of our products, their competitive pricing and a warranty on every new car which has the potential to last a lifetime”. Vauxhall business contract hire leasing is on the site now, on all Vauxhall’s car and van models.

Vauxhall Fashion Scout event

Vauxhall Fashion Scout is an established fixture during London Fashion Week, where lesser known designers have the chance to show off their designer collections, through catwalks or other fashion exhibitions.

The traffic in London came to a standstill as top models strutted their stuff along a 20 metre long catwalk that had been constructed across the roofs of three Vauxhall Corsa cars. Vauxhall Fashion Scout, during London Fashion Week, has unearthed some of the best British fashion designers including William Tempest, Prophetik and Bodyamr, who have dressed Cheryl Cole, Emma Watson and Daisy Lowe.

The Vauxhall Corsa is a near permanent fixture in the UK’s top selling cars and this new model looks set to continue the trend. It has been re-styled at the front and comes with five new exciting colours, namely Lime Green Pearlescent, Chilli Orange metallic, Guacamole, Sunny Melon and Pepperdust Metallic. Vauxhall contract hire leasing prices on the new models are available now.

New Vauxhall models

Vauxhall is expecting strong sales for the new 61 vehicle registration plate, with a batch of new models on offer – the Antara, Corsa MCE, Astra ES Tech and VXR8, with all cars benefiting from Vauxhall’s 100,000 mile Lifetime Warranty.

The Vauxhall Antara SUV comes with an updated diesel engine range and has been refreshed both inside and out with prices reduced, compared to the outgoing model. The Corsa range has eight sub-100g/km models that are eligible for London’s new Greener Vehicle Discount and there is also an exciting new colour palette available, which includes Lime Green pearlescent, Chilli Orange metallic and Guacamole.

Vauxhall Antara

The new value-for-money Astra ES Tech is taking on the new Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf and even the entry level Astra ES Tech model comes with CD500 Satnav system, Bluetooth, DAB radio, 17-inch alloys and aircon as standard options.

If you fancy something with more power then perhaps the 431PS VRX8 rear-drive saloon may be on your shopping list. Either way we have Vauxhall business contract hire leasing pricing on the site now on all Vauxhall models.

Vauxhall Corsa

Vauxhall has yet again topped Scottish car sales for it’s fifth successive year, with the Vauxhall Corsa the best-selling car in Scotland for the fourth year on the trot. In total Vauxhall sold 26,901 total sales, nearly 7,000 more than its nearest rival.

The Corsa also sold well with 10,660 units followed by the Astra at 8,384, while both the Insignia, Zafira and Meriva also performed well. Duncan Aldred, Managing Director of Vauxhall,said,”2010 has been yet another landmark year for us in Scotland. We really appreciate the high level of customer loyalty north of the border, backed up by a first class dealer network. Vauxhall is going from strength to strength at the moment and we’re looking forward to revealing a raft of new, exciting models during 2011, including the new-look Corsa, coming next month”.

In addition in 2011, Vauxhall will also launch a V8-powered VXR8 super-saloon, a new Zafira and possibly a new 3-door Astra plus the new Ampera Extended-Range Electric Vehicle debuts in Europe later this year as well.

ecoFLEX from Vauxhall

Vauxhall and Opel have joined forces to find Europe’s top eco-driver with a Vauxhall Ampera being awarded to the winning driver.

The competition kicks off on the 1st April when successful entrants can show off their fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly driving skills. The contest will see who can squeeze the most amount of miles from one of the Vauxhall/Opel ecoFLEX models. To enter and register go to www.ecoflex-experience.co.uk

You will first have to enter an on-line quiz with the top UK driver then being invited, with 19 other entrants from other European countries, to the real driving event in Malmo, Sweden.

There are a total of 13 ecoFLEX models in the Vauxhall ecoFLEX range of Astra, Corsa, Agila and Zafira, and all can be easily quoted on Vauxhall car leasing from the site now.

Vauxhall ecoFLEX

Vauxhall was voted the Fleet Manufacturer of the Year 2010 at the recently held Fleet News Awards. The award is one of the most prestigious in the vehicle fleet industry and is voted independently by fleet managers across the country.

Maurice Howkins, Fleet Sales Director for Vauxhall said,”We’re absolutely delighted to receive this recognition from our customers, especially in such testing times for the industry.We strive to provide our customers not only with a great choice of vehicles, including our award winning ecoFLEX range, but also with the best support network in the industry from our fleet sales and aftersales teams and our retailers”.

Vauxhall

Vauxhall has always been popular with the UK fleet industry and has a strong product line up including the new Astra, Insignia and Corsa. Vauxhall business car leasing prices on all their whole range are available on the site now.

Vauxhall is introducing new models across the range that substantially undercut the list pricing of current entry-level models in each car range. This offer benefits both private and company car users.

Five new Expression models (Corsa, New Astra, Astra Sport Hatch, Zafira and Astra Twin Top) plus the new ES models in the Insignia and Astra ranges, will now give a more attractive entry point for new Vauxhall drivers. For example the entry level Insignia ES replaces the current S model yet offers more equipment at a lower price, with standard 17-inch Structure wheels and a CD400 CD player with MP3 format. Vauxhall car leasing on the new models will be loaded shortly.