Sales of new cars in Scotland drop in important month

New car sales were on the decline in September

New car sales fell sharply in September, an important month for the motor trade, as new registration plates are introduced.

The '69' plate did not stop the continuing challenge to forecourt sales, with a decline of 11.3% in the number of cars sold in September last year.

Industry leaders believe it is due to economic and political uncertainty.

Buyers are opting to go for used cars instead.

Business registrations of cars in Scotland were down far more steeply, by 64%, according to the Scottish Motor Trade Association.

Expected rebound

The latest figures compare with a very poor set of figures in September 2018, when some manufacturers struggled to get cars to dealerships, as they adapted factories to meet new emission standards.

UK sales figures for last month, from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, were expected to rebound from those difficulties last year, but rose by only 1.3%.

The Scottish fall took new registrations from 31,161 in September 2018 to 27,646.

Of those, the Vauxhall Corsa represented 1,900 sales, more than twice as many as the Ford Fiesta, with the Mercedes A-Class as third biggest seller.

Battery and hybrid cars accounted for 7% of registrations.

Over 2019 so far, Scottish new car registrations have fallen 4.7% on the first nine months of 2018, while the UK figure is down 2.5%.

Sandy Burgess, chief executive of the SMTA, said: "September is one of the industry's key critical months. Such a dramatic fall in levels of business is very concerning and the politicians must take heed of the serious consequences being recorded across our sector, as a result of the continued stalemate and theatre being played out in Westminster and Holyrood.

"The Scottish market has recorded a dramatic drop off when the rest of the UK has had a more modest result, this is most certainly impacted by the additional pressure we have given the 2032 ambitions."