Ford Fiesta

Ford has extended its market share in October as the UK’s overall sales leader in car sales (compared to October 2010) as the latest car and van registration sales data is released by the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders). Total car sales year-on-year for the overall market were up 2.6% at 134,944, however Ford’s car share was 13.7%, selling 18,476 units in October.

Ford Transit

The Ford Fiesta was the UK’s best seller in October and the Fiesta and Ford Focus were the number 1 and 2 best sellers, year-to-date. Ford also topped the UK commercial vehicle (CV) sales with the Transit, capturing 21.7% of sales in the medium CV sector in October and 24.8% for the year to date sales position. Ford’s whole product range also performed well with strong sales reported for the C-MAX, Ford Kuga and Ford Galaxy as well.

Mark Ovenden, Ford of Britain managing director, said,”Ford comfortably beat the positive trend in the UK car market in October, which is a great credit to our strong dealer network. Against intense competition our best-ever vehicle range is helping to strengthen Ford’s continued UK market leadership. Particulary pleasing is the success of our most recently launched models such as the Focus and C-MAX, which are boosting customer appreciation of the distinctive attributes of the blue oval brand”.

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

Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive, believes that the UK automotive industry will drive investment-led growth and and will deliver this message at various Party Conference fringe events over the next three weeks, where high profile MPs, local councillors and policy advisers will attend.

Mr Everitt said,”It is not a question of if investment in the global automotive industry will take place, but when and where it will happen. There are now real opportunities to strengthen the UK supply base and bring new investment into fast emerging ultra-low carbon technologies. Targeted tax incentives and support programmes can help trigger the private sector investment needed to kick start growth”.

The SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders) is one of the largest and most influential trade associations in the UK and it supports the interests of the UK automotive industry both at home and abroad. They produce a number of free reports of interest around CO2 emissions and here is a link to two of them.

New Car CO2 report 

SMMT Sustainability Report

Ford Fiesta

The latest Society of Motor Manufacturers (SMMT) July 2011 new car registrations data has been released showing new car registrations fell by 3.5% (compared to July 2010) to 131,634 units. However Ford increased its market share for the month of July to 15.5% for the month and for the year-to-date position, to 15.4%.

Ford’s introduction of the latest all-new Ford Focus has helped boost their sales and the Focus is now catching up on the Ford Fiesta which is still the UK’s best selling car. The Ford Fiesta Van also performed well with 16.7% of the market but it was the Ford Transit that led the way in the commercial vehicle sector as the UK’s best selling van, with 28.5% of the market share.

Ford of Britain managing director, Nigel Sharp, said,”Ford’s best ever vehicle range demonstrated the breadth of its appeal by helping the company to increase share in all the key market sectors in July. Our latest, the new Ford Focus Studio, priced at under £14,000, will help us maintain this momentum as we and our dealers gear-up for the September sales rush”. Ford contract hire  on all the range (cars and vans) is on the site now.

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.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has released the latest new car registrations for March, which saw 366,101 new 11-plate cars registered. Compared to the same period in 2010, this is a fall of 7.9%. However March did perform better than expected, with registrations up 5.9% on 2010, with car scrappage figures excluded.

Overall in the first quarter of 2011, new car registrations fell by 8.7% to 558,336 units and the SMMT is forecasting only 1.93 million new cars will be registered in the whole of 2011. However interestingly, average new car CO2 emissions dropped again for the first quarter by 3.4%, with an average CO2 figure of 140.3g/km being recorded.

Other headlines from the SMMT data;

• Fleet and business registrations saw a modest growth in the first quarter of the year, however private registrations fell post scrappage scheme.
• Diesel car volumes rose by 7.9% in Q1, with the diesel market share rising from 41.1% to 48.5%.
• The Ford Fiesta was the best selling model in the month and also in Q1.
• Supermini volumes fell in March, lower medium cars saw a drop in demand, whilst demand for luxury saloon, MPV and executive cars increased.

Full details of the SMMT new car registrations can be found at the SMMT website. If you are a small business (or a private individual) but you don’t want to spend your cash on a large asset like a car, then car leasing may be the answer for you, as the initial rental required is only three months in advance.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has just released its 10th annual New Car CO2 Report, which shows that emissions of new cars have fallen by 3.5% in 2010 and by over 20% since 2000.

Other highlights of the reports are as follows;

• Sub 130g/km CO2 new cars now represent nearly 40% of the market (was less than 1% in 2000)
• Nearly 40,000 vehicles are now exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty, with emissions under 100g/km.
• Luxury saloons and MPVs made the the biggest reduction in CO2 over the past year, falling by 6.4% and 6.0% respectively

The European fleet emissions target is set at 130g/km by 2015 and this report clearly demonstrates that many manufacturers are on track to achieve this target.

Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive,said,”New technology has delivered impressive reductions in CO2 emissions but coordinated action, to support research and development, new infrastructure and consumer incentives, is critical to securing significant future advances. The economical and political challenges of high fuel prices, energy security and climate change are shared issues that must be addressed at an international level”.

The full SMMT New Car CO2 Report 2011 is free to download off www.smmt.co.uk

There is a direct correlation between low CO2 emissions and good fuel economy, so if you are thinking of leasing your next car, the Vehicle Type leasing shopper enables you to select body type i.e. hatchback, then choose your CO2 ranges and also the combined mpg range you want to achieve. This way you can chose the lowest CO2 car, with the best combined mpg, for your next leased vehicle.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has released the data on new car registrations for February 2011. The numbers fell less than expected due to strong demand from fleet customers, however overall the market dropped 7.7% to 63,424 units. Registrations over the first two months of 2011 were down by 10.2% to 192,235 units.

Fleet volumes recovered in February by 8.6% but private registrations continued to decline to 22,584, a fall of 26.7%. Demand for the mini and supermini segment cars also continued to fall, but registrations of executive, luxury saloon, sports cars and MPVs showed a double digit growth in the month. Diesel market share was 50% in the month, rising by 8.9% and the Volkswagen Golf was the best seller, followed by the Vauxhall Corsa (2nd) and Ford Focus (3rd).

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has reported that the European Parliament has officially voted to set short term and longer term CO2 targets for Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs). The LCV legislation is set to mirror the New Car CO2 regulation. Each manufacturer will have their own overall European fleet average CO2 target, based on the weight of each new LCV it registers in the EU in a given year.

Short term the target is proposed at 175g/km of CO2 and 147g/km for the longer term. Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive, said,”Industry is pleased that the European Parliament has come to a decision on CO2 emission targets for LCVs as vehicle manufacturers are committed to lowering emissions as part of ongoing introductions 0f low, lower and ultra-low carbon vehicles”.

Key points from the ruling released by the SMMT are below.

Initial target and phase-in – 2014 to 2017: 175g/km CO₂ (phased in with 70%, 75% and 80% of each manufacturers’ fleet complying in 2014-16 respectively and 100% from 2017 onwards).

• Long-term target – 2020: 147g/km, to be confirmed in a review in 2013.
• Derogation: independent manufacturers registering less than 22,000 vehicles per year (in the EU) can apply to the Commission for an individual target that is consistent with its economic and technological potential for CO₂ reduction and the characteristics of the vehicles’ market segment. Mirroring the cars regulation.
• Super credits: as an incentive for selling low carbon LCVs (₂. They can be counted 3.5 times in 2014 and 2015, then 2.5 (2016), 1.5 (2017) and 1.0 in 2018. There will be a cap on super credits at 25,000 vehicles per manufacturer over the super credits period to 2018.
• Eco-innovations: certain innovative technologies deliver a real-world CO₂ benefit, but this is not reflected in the CO₂ result from the type approval test. Manufacturers can be granted a credit if they equip vehicles with innovative technologies. The credit will be based on independently verified data and depends on how many vehicles the technologies are applied to. The credit is limited to a maximum of 7g/km on average for each manufacturer’s fleet.
• Multi-stage vehicles: manufacturers of incomplete vehicles will take responsibility for meeting the CO₂target for the base vehicle. The Commission will make a proposal by the end of 2011.

Finding a van with a low CO2 emissions output can be a time consuming search so why not try our Vehicle Type Leasing Shopper, select vans, tick all manufacturers, choose how much you want to spend per month, set your CO2 rating, then search for business contract hire leasing results. For example,  for vans with a CO2 less than 160g/km, under £250+VAT per month, on a three year contact, there are 94 results. You can amend your results to four years and a higher mileage if required.

New car registrations fell by 11.5% in January to 128,811 units which was in line with the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturer’s and Traders) expectations. Interestingly the market share for cars with a CO2 figure of less than 100g/km increased again by 65% . Average new car CO2 emissions were 141.5g/km which compares favourably to the figure in 2010, which was 144.2g/km.

Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive commented,”New car registrations fell by 11.5% in January. This is in line with SMMT forecasts and marks the beginning of a challenging year for the UK motor industry. Consumer confidence is low and it is important that government uses the March budget to help relieve some of the financial pressure on motorists by freezing fuel duty,while providing stability and certainty on motoring taxes. Despite the challenging conditions, the demand for low CO2 emitting and highly fuel efficient cars continues to grow”.

Some other interesting facts;

• In terms of market sector, Private Registrations were down by 20.8% to 51,570, Fleet (25+fleets) is down by 3.1% to 70,448 and the Business sector (under 25 fleets) fell by 11.1% to  6,793.
• Diesel new car registrations continued to grow with 65,079 vehicles registered, an increase of 8.3% year on year.
• Petrol cars fell by 25.9% (61,932 units) and AFVs (alternatively fuelled vehicles) by 2.4% (1,800 vehicles).
• The top selling car in the UK was the Ford Focus, followed by the Ford Fiesta and then the Vauxhall Astra.
• Demand for the mini and supermini segments fell (following the loss of the Scrappage Incentive Scheme) however demand for executive, luxury, MPV and dual purpose segments cars recovered strongly.

Further details can be found at the SMMT website.