Land Rover in vanguard as new registrations rocket

LAND Rover has continued with its remarkable sales growth reporting a year-on-year increase of almost 46%.

New car registrations show the Solihull manufacturer sold 3,068 vehicles last month – a 45.75% increase on the same month last year. The sales have boosted the company’s market share to 1.57%.

In the year to date, sales are up 64.47% with 22,026 vehicles registered compared to last year’s 13,392.

Stablemate Jaguar has not fared as well. Sales of the luxury marque declined 2.37% last month compared to same month last year with 1,480 new cars registered compared to 2009’s 1,516. In the year to date sales are down more than 6%.

Across the sector as a whole, new registrations were up 10.8% in June – the 12th straight month to see an increase.

In the year-to-date, sales are up 19.9% with 1.1m new vehicles registered, an increase of more than 180,000 units.

Fleet sales – an important economic indicator – show an increase of 25.3%, helping to sustain market momentum after the boost proved by the scrappage incentive scheme earlier in the year.

While Land Rover enjoyed one of the healthiest performances, the star of the show last month went to Renault, which saw sales rocket by almost 210% on the same month last year.

The French company sold 8,843 cars in June compared to 2,853 in the same month last year, boosting its market share from 1.62% to 4.53%. In the year to date, it has seen sales improve almost 120%, a percentage growth exceeding that of low-cost Korean manufacturers Hyundai and Kia.

Another manufacturer enjoying a healthy month was Vauxhall. It saw year-on-year sales improve 43.88% beating fierce rival Ford, which saw a 20% decline during the same period.

Vauxhall also claimed three models in the June list of Top 10 best sellers – including the Astra and Corsa in first and second places respectively.

The news will be welcomed by beleaguered parent GM, which came close to selling off the brand earlier this year before deciding on a U-turn.

What will make the results even sweeter for Vauxhall is that it knocked the traditional best sellers, Ford’s Fiesta and Focus into third and fourth places last month. However, the two Ford models remain the best sellers in the year-to-date.

Vauxhall’s Insignia also claimed ninth spot last month, ahead of its main rival, the Ford Mondeo.

Elsewhere, the Mini continued with its popularity – sales up 5.57% year-on-year to 4,925. This represents a 2.52% market share.

Parent BMW saw sales increase almost 11% last month, with 10,679 new vehicles registered. The 3-Series retaining its place in the Top 10 best sellers.

Hyundai and Kia both saw declining sales last month – down 21.44% and 15.69% respectively – reflecting the end of the scrappage incentive scheme.

Another trend saw a 157.4% increase in the number of alternatively fuelled vehicles sold as cost-conscious drivers sought cheaper alternatives to escalating petrol and diesel prices.

Paul Everitt, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said: “The new car market continued to perform above expectations in June, with fleet sector registrations up 25% compared to this time last year.  

“The results indicate improved business confidence and a strengthening economic recovery.”