Figures released by the SMMT indicate that the April new car market in the UK dipped by 3.8% over the same month last year to 187,004 units. However, the cumulative figure for the first four months shows a 3.9% gain over the same period of last year to 943,010 units.
In spite of April’s market decline, the SMMT is still predicting another record year for the UK car market. SMMT chief executive Christopher Macgowan said in a statement: “Despite a slight dip in April, we are confident of a fourth consecutive record year for the new car market. March registrations exceeded expectations by nearly 17,000 units, so it is not surprising that this momentum has not continued in April.
“However, in the context of the year-to-date, the market is still significantly up on last year. A strong underlying economy, raft of new model launches and intense competition should see total registrations hit 2.6 million units by the end of the year.”
The SMMT forecast for UK new car registrations has been revised upwards, as a result of the strong year-to-date growth, from 2.5 million to 2.6 million units.
New car registrations in the UK reached a record 2,579,050 million units in 2003, up from 2,563,631 units in 2002 and 2,458,769 units in 2001.
APRIL | % Change | YEAR TO DATE | % Change | |||||||
MARQUE | 2004 | %market share | 2003 | %market share | 2004 | %market share | 2003 | %market share | ||
Alfa Romeo | 748 | 0.40 | 876 | 0.45 | -14.61 | 3,662 | 0.39 | 4,078 | 0.45 | -10.20 |
Aston Martin | 38 | 0.02 | 61 | 0.03 | -37.70 | 167 | 0.02 | 203 | 0.02 | -17.73 |
Audi | 6,011 | 3.21 | 5,739 | 2.95 | 4.74 | 28,513 | 3.02 | 26,326 | 2.90 | 8.31 |
Bentley | 185 | 0.10 | 30 | 0.02 | 516.67 | 536 | 0.06 | 110 | 0.01 | 387.27 |
BMW | 5,850 | 3.13 | 3,723 | 1.92 | 57.13 | 31,502 | 3.34 | 32,938 | 3.63 | -4.36 |
Chrysler | 582 | 0.31 | 691 | 0.36 | -15.77 | 3,139 | 0.33 | 3,430 | 0.38 | -8.48 |
Citroen | 7,183 | 3.84 | 8,962 | 4.61 | -19.85 | 41,461 | 4.40 | 49,526 | 5.46 | -16.28 |
Daewoo | 1,130 | 0.60 | 855 | 0.44 | 32.16 | 5,829 | 0.62 | 3,721 | 0.41 | 56.65 |
Daihatsu | 281 | 0.15 | 306 | 0.16 | -8.17 | 1,638 | 0.17 | 1,297 | 0.14 | 26.29 |
Fiat | 5,131 | 2.74 | 4,844 | 2.49 | 5.92 | 26,687 | 2.83 | 24,990 | 2.75 | 6.79 |
Ford | 28,986 | 15.50 | 33,819 | 17.40 | -14.29 | 143,185 | 15.18 | 136,399 | 15.03 | 4.98 |
Honda | 6,214 | 3.32 | 6,010 | 3.09 | 3.39 | 35,401 | 3.75 | 31,036 | 3.42 | 14.06 |
Hyundai | 2,396 | 1.28 | 2,283 | 1.17 | 4.95 | 14,022 | 1.49 | 11,044 | 1.22 | 26.96 |
Isuzu | 63 | 0.03 | 68 | 0.03 | -7.35 | 220 | 0.02 | 337 | 0.04 | -34.72 |
Jaguar/Daimler | 2,411 | 1.29 | 1,961 | 1.01 | 22.95 | 12,155 | 1.29 | 9,960 | 1.10 | 22.04 |
Jeep | 458 | 0.24 | 536 | 0.28 | -14.55 | 2,773 | 0.29 | 3,071 | 0.34 | -9.70 |
Kia | 1,597 | 0.85 | 1,088 | 0.56 | 46.78 | 9,856 | 1.05 | 6,131 | 0.68 | 60.76 |
Land Rover | 3,106 | 1.66 | 2,758 | 1.42 | 12.62 | 16,569 | 1.76 | 15,323 | 1.69 | 8.13 |
Lexus | 766 | 0.41 | 557 | 0.29 | 37.52 | 3,772 | 0.40 | 2,690 | 0.30 | 40.22 |
Lotus | 105 | 0.06 | 86 | 0.04 | 22.09 | 334 | 0.04 | 337 | 0.04 | -0.89 |
Mazda | 3,305 | 1.77 | 2,731 | 1.41 | 21.02 | 17,476 | 1.85 | 12,551 | 1.38 | 39.24 |
Mercedes-Benz | 5,821 | 3.11 | 7,742 | 3.98 | -24.81 | 30,362 | 3.22 | 30,915 | 3.41 | -1.79 |
MG | 3,298 | 1.76 | 2,227 | 1.15 | 48.09 | 11,962 | 1.27 | 11,500 | 1.27 | 4.02 |
MINI | 2,657 | 1.42 | 2,619 | 1.35 | 1.45 | 14,826 | 1.57 | 14,512 | 1.60 | 2.16 |
Mitsubishi | 1,758 | 0.94 | 1,292 | 0.66 | 36.07 | 8,272 | 0.88 | 6,030 | 0.66 | 37.18 |
Nissan | 6,322 | 3.38 | 7,207 | 3.71 | -12.28 | 32,581 | 3.46 | 36,932 | 4.07 | -11.78 |
Perodua | 72 | 0.04 | 65 | 0.03 | 10.77 | 283 | 0.03 | 334 | 0.04 | -15.27 |
Peugeot | 11,813 | 6.32 | 14,347 | 7.38 | -17.66 | 63,958 | 6.78 | 69,013 | 7.61 | -7.32 |
Porsche | 884 | 0.47 | 597 | 0.31 | 48.07 | 3,280 | 0.35 | 2,389 | 0.26 | 37.30 |
Proton | 144 | 0.08 | 226 | 0.12 | -36.28 | 633 | 0.07 |
972 | 0.11 | -34.88 |
Renault | 14,654 | 7.84 | 18,071 | 9.30 | -18.91 | 66,359 | 7.04 | 58,525 | 6.45 | 13.39 |
Rover | 3,961 | 2.12 | 4,576 | 2.35 | -13.44 | 19,721 | 2.09 | 21,091 | 2.32 | -6.50 |
Saab | 1,546 | 0.83 | 1,162 | 0.60 | 33.05 | 6,296 | 0.67 | 5,477 | 0.60 | 14.95 |
Seat | 1,897 | 1.01 | 2,742 | 1.41 | -30.82 | 11,510 | 1.22 | 12,334 | 1.36 | -6.68 |
Skoda | 2,065 | 1.10 | 2,923 | 1.50 | -29.35 | 11,423 | 1.21 | 12,532 | 1.38 | -8.85 |
smart | 732 | 0.39 | 976 | 0.50 | -25.00 | 3,335 | 0.35 | 3,010 | 0.33 | 10.80 |
Ssangyong | 47 | 0.03 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 210 | 0.02 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Subaru | 757 | 0.40 | 762 | 0.39 | -0.66 | 2,955 | 0.31 | 3,161 | 0.35 | -6.52 |
Suzuki | 1,562 | 0.84 | 1,513 | 0.78 | 3.24 | 12,056 | 1.28 | 10,481 | 1.16 | 15.03 |
Tata | 7 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 72 | 0.01 | 3 | 0.00 | 2,300.00 |
Toyota | 9,254 | 4.95 | 9,172 | 4.72 | 0.89 | 45,379 | 4.81 | 41,378 | 4.56 | 9.67 |
Vauxhall | 21,559 | 11.53 | 21,338 | 10.98 | 1.04 | 118,758 | 12.59 | 116,102 | 12.80 | 2.29 |
Volkswagen | 16,401 | 8.77 | 13,530 | 6.96 | 21.22 | 64,496 | 6.84 | 60,933 | 6.72 | 5.85 |
Volvo | 3,076 | 1.64 | 3,033 | 1.56 | 1.42 | 14,389 | 1.53 | 13,277 | 1.46 | 8.38 |
Other British | 51 | 0.03 | 88 | 0.05 | -42.05 | 392 | 0.04 | 290 | 0.03 | 35.17 |
Other Imports | 120 | 0.06 | 120 | 0.06 | 0.00 | 605 | 0.06 | 563 | 0.06 | 7.46 |
TOTAL | 187,004 | 194,312 | -3.76 | 943,010 | 907,252 | 3.94 | ||||
