Boost for NW industry as Astra sales hit top spot
VAUXHALL’S new Astra, which is made at the Ellesmere Port plant, was the best-selling car in the country last month, figures showed today.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said 10,525 Astras were sold in June, representing a major vote of confidence in the new model and in the North West automotive sector. Led by the Astra, Vauxhall’s sales are up 43.88% year-on-year.
The news will be a huge boost to the 2,400 staff at Ellesmere Port, who have endured a tough year with months of speculation over the future after the bankruptcy of its US parent company General Motors.
GM nearly sold Vauxhall, along with the rest of its European business, in a costs purge, but its decision to perform an 11th hour U-turn looks to be paying off.
Vauxhall occupied three of the top 10 places the SMMT said, with the Corsa in second and Insignia in ninth.
Land Rover meanwhile, which last week said its new Range Rover Evoque would be built at its plant at Halewood on Merseyside, creating up to 1,000 jobs, also had a strong June, with year-on-year sales up almost 46%.
New car registrations show the manufacturer sold 3,068 vehicles last month – a 45.75% increase on the same month last year.
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 fell 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.
Paul Everitt, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said: “The new car market continued to perform above expectations in June.
“The results indicate improved business confidence and a strengthening economic recovery.”
