SMMT: UK car sales up in January

The car market was unaffected by the rise in VAT and the cold snap last month, the latest statistics show.

Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that new car registrations increased by 29.8% in January.

This is the seventh month in a row in which registrations have increased, with the government's car scrappage scheme believed to have had a positive impact.
"Scrappage continues to lift demand successfully and today's announcement of a continuation of the scheme to the end of March will allow the maximum number of people to benefit from the budget that's still available," said SMMT Chief Executive Paul Everitt.

He added that this is likely to be a difficult year for the market, as access to finance remains difficult and the scrappage scheme comes to an end.

The SMMT shows that the greatest uptake of the scheme last month was in England, where registrations increased by 30.34%, compared to 17.85% in Wales.

Posted by Ruth Bradshaw