SMMT SALES FIGURES: Fleet stays flat but retail buyers boost figures to four-year high

Date: 29 April 2013   |   Author:

The market share for diesel cars rose slightly last year, after passing 50% for the first time in 2011. It was up from 50.6% to 50.8%, but Everitt doesn't predict it going much further. "It would be hard to think it would grow significantly from there, although you may see further change when the Government removes the 3% penalty for company car tax," he comments. "But I feel it's at about the level where we'll see marginal further growth, especially looking at the trends with a strong interest in the city car segment where clearly a downsized petrol engine is an attractive proposition."

Alternative fuels were also on the rise from an admittedly very low base. A 9.4% increase equated to an extra 2385 cars, and the market share went up by 0.1 percentage points to 1.4%. "It was always going to be, and continues to be, a long-term trend," says Everitt. "We won't see a sudden huge increase but we will see consistent levels of growth in that market over the next decade."

Looking ahead, the SMMT isn't predicting much of a change during 2013. "We're looking at the level of demand being sustained. We don't see any significant growth or reduction in any area," predicts Everitt. "The pessimistic thought is that it will be flat with some positive upscale potential - the level of fleet and retail registrations is relatively low - and if we do see greater consumer confidence then there's every chance we'll see a strong market this year and relatively stronger in 2014."

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