VOLKSWAGEN says it has run out of diesel Passats in the UK four months before the first new models are delivered and other variants are could run out by mid November. Renault has also reported a shortage of Lagunas, with a few weeks of production still to run.

A spokesman for VW's fleet support team said orders for the new Passat will be taken soon after its UK debut at the Motor Show in Birmingham next month, and it is possible that from November there would be no current model Passats left in the UK until the new model appeared in January.

A spokesman for Renault said: 'We have a couple more weeks of production which have been allocated to customer orders. Dealers should be able to look at the locator system to find some, but once we get to November the vast majority will be sold.'