UK car registrations fell by 4.4% to 1.94 million in 2011 according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, but business cars bucked the downturn and recorded a 4.7% rise.
The overall registration figure is the lowest for over a decade. Despite this, 2011 saw a sharp rise in car production from home-grown manufacturers such as Jaguar and Land Rover and those that base their operations in the UK including Nissan and Mini.
Diesel and alternative fuel cars continued to increase their market share over petrol models to 50.6%, which marks the first time ever that they’ve taken a majority share.
Average emissions levels hit a record low of 138.1g/km – down 4.2% from the 2010 figure – and average fuel efficiency hit a new high of over 52mpg.
BVLRA Chairman John Lewis said: “2011 has indeed been a challenging year for the UK motor industry, and once again, it has business fleets to thank for purchasing nearly 60% of all new cars sold.
“It is great to see that this support has helped boost UK-based vehicle manufacturers including MINI, Nissan and Jaguar.”