UK car registrations continue to grow

The £100m extension to the Scrappage Scheme seems to be getting the struggling UK motor industry back on track. The SMMT has reported the biggest rise in new car registrations for 2009 to date.

“October has seen this year’s biggest monthly increase in registrations with the successful scrappage scheme accounting for over 20% of them,” said Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive. Everitt also believes that the VAT increase due for January is leading more customers to make their car purchases before the rise.

The October growth is also the fourth consecutive month when new car registrations rose and, at an increase of 31.6%, it was the strongest yet.

Unfortunately, not all signs are positive. Overall car registrations in the first 10 months of the year are still 12.3% down on the figures from last year and car sales for 2009 are thought to end 200,000 units down on last year's sales.

Supermini and mini sales continued to thrive with a 47.9% and 200% growth respectively. Ford had the top seller for October with it's ever popular Fiesta topping the charts with 8,182 units sold.