Record sales in the industry come as the new car market as a whole fell short of beating 2003’s record figure.
Fleets accounted for 1,093,494 unit sales while the private market accounted for 1,200,066, giving fleets a 42.6% share of the new car market. Business sales to sub-25 vehicle fleets reached a record 273,709 units. In total, new car registrations were 0.5% down on 2003’s figure at 2,567,269.
New analysis shows fleet registrations of the best-selling Ford Focus were up by 8% year-on-year, with 98,867 units registered in 2004 and 91,234 the previous year.
Petrol registrations of the model to fleets fell slightly (from 68,013 units to 67,826) but diesel sales increased by more than 33%, from 23,106 units to 30,813.
A total of four models in the top 10 noted declines during 2004 and these were Vauxhall Corsa (-4.9%), Ford Fiesta (-21.5%) and Peugeot 307 (-10.3%) due to the cars being relatively late in their life cycles and the Vauxhall Astra (-13.5%) through a staggered release of body styles for the new model.
The biggest fleet registration increase came from Renault Megane, whose sales rose from 41,881 units in 2003 to 51,447 in 2004, up almost 23%.
Diesel sales for both the private and fleet market during the year reached record levels, jumping 130,697 units in 2004 to 835,334 units.
Commenting on the sales figures, Keith Parry, head of the motor retail group at Barclays Business Banking, said: ‘Rising interest rates and a slowing housing market have tightened the belts of private buyers in 2004, impacting on car sales. The fleet market, on the other hand, has recorded its highest ever annual total.
‘While our expectations for the private sector in 2005 point to a slightly weaker market than in recent years we expect a lot of interest to be shown in the introduction of a number of new car models during the course of the year.’
Sales of commercial vehicles also broke all records – with the growth mainly concentrated in the lighter end of the market, particularly medium vans.
SMMT chief executive Christopher Macgowan said: ‘These figures show 2004 commercial vehicle registrations breaking all records. 2004 has been a terrific year for vans and trucks in the UK, with registrations breaking record after record. A wide range of factors drive demand, meaning it is reassuringly durable, and order books are strong too, so 2005 will be another good year.’
TOP 10 MANUFACTURERS
YTD 04 | YTD 03 | YTD % CHANGE | ||||
VAUXHALL | 223,057 | 221,806 | 0.56 | |||
FORD | 212,761 | 213,947 | -0.55 | |||
RENAULT | 96,336 | 94,260 | 2.20 | |||
VOLKSWAGEN | 87,695 | 80,705 | 8.66 | |||
PEUGEOT | 75,740 | 82,652 | -8.36 | |||
TOYOTA | 46,079 | 38,382 | 20.05 | |||
BMW | 39,858 | 33,336 | 19.56 | |||
NISSAN | 38,127 | 50,184 | -24.03 | |||
FIAT | 30,299 | 29,883 | 1.39 | |||
CITROEN | 29,053 | 28,694 | 1.25 | |||
TOP 10 FLEET MODELS
YTD 04 | YTD 03 | YTD % change | ||||
Ford Focus | 98,867 | 91,234 | 8.37 | |||
Vauxhall Corsa | 62,611 | 65,865 | -4.94 | |||
Vauxhall Astra | 59,357 | 68,618 | -13.50 | |||
Renault Megane | 51,447 | 41,881 | 22.84 | |||
Ford Mondeo | 50,308 | 46,704 | 7.72 | |||
Vauxhall Vectra | 41,094 | 41,010 | 0.20 | |||
Vauxhall Zafira | 36,448 | 33,912 | 7.48 | |||
Volkswagen Golf | 34,191 | 29,834 | 14.60 | |||
Ford Fiesta | 30,678 | 39,097 | -21.53 | |||
Peugeot 307 | 30,567 | 34,057 | -10.25 | |||
TOP 10 PETROL MODELS
YTD 04 | YTD 03 | YTD % CHANGE | ||||
FORD FOCUS | 67,826 | 68,013 | -0.27 | |||
VAUXHALL CORSA | 55,044 | 61,533 | -10.55 | |||
VAUXHALL ASTRA | 37,332 | 49,473 | -24.54 | |||
RENAULT MEGANE | 28,322 | 29,236 | -3.13 | |||
FORD FIESTA | 26,381 | 33,575 | -21.43 | |||
VAUXHALL ZAFIRA | 26,273 | 24,956 | 5.28 | |||
PEUGEOT 206 | 24,178 | 24,343 | -0.68 | |||
RENAULT CLIO | 21,095 | 23,308 | -9.49 | |||
VAUXHALL VECTRA | 18,457 | 21,809 | -15.37 | |||
FIAT PUNTO | 17,334 | 19,769 | -12.32 | |||
TOP 10 DIESEL MODELS
YTD 04 | YTD 03 | YTD % CHANGE | ||||
FORD MONDEO | 34,037 | 26,714 | 27.41 | |||
FORD FOCUS | 30,813 | 23,106 | 33.35 | |||
RENAULT MEGANE | 23,125 | 12,645 | 82.88 | |||
VAUXHALL VECTRA | 22,328 | 18,475 | 20.86 | |||
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF | 22,267 | 17,210 | 29.38 | |||
VAUXHALL ASTRA | 37,332 | 49,473 | -24.54 | |||
VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT | 20,038 | 20,406 | -1.80 | |||
PEUGEOT 307 | 17,272 | 19,240 | -10.23 | |||
BMW 3-SERIES | 11,251 | 15,083 | -25.41 | |||
CITROEN XSARA | 10,191 | 8,041 | 26.74 | |||
Login to comment
Comments
No comments have been made yet.