Fleet dominates new car registrations in 2011
The fleet market made up more than half of total new car registrations over 2011, picking up slack from the private sector and helping achieve the SMMT’s prediction of 1.92m for the year.
According to end of year sales figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), 1,019,126 of the 1,941,253 cars registered in 2011 were fleet sales, an improvement of 4.7% on 2010’s performance.
There was a shift towards diesel and alternatively fuelled cars throughout 2011 with both areas claiming record market shares, a point which would explain the fleet market’s strength over the last 12 months but also highlights the public reacting against high fuel prices as diesel volumes outsold petrol volumes for the first time (by 47,391 units).
Shortfall
Registrations were down for both December and the year overall with 2011’s sales down by 4.4% on the previous year while last month’s figures fell short of 2010’s December by 3.7%.
Nonetheless, SMMT Chief Executive Paul Everitt [pictured right] was pleased that total new car registrations surpassed industry expectations, even if by only 20,000 units.
“2011 proved to be a challenging year for the UK motor industry,” he commented.
“Weak economic growth will make trading conditions tough in 2012, but record numbers of new and updated models, significantly improved fuel efficiency and exciting new technologies will help to encourage consumers into showrooms.
“Business and consumer confidence will be the key to a successful year, so it will be important that Government delivers on its growth strategy and helps to resolve instability in the Euro Zone.”
Ford’s Fiesta was 2011’s biggest seller with the Volkswagen Golf proving the most popular diesel model.
John Lewis, Chief Executive of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association, believes that the UK motor industry has business fleets to thank for purchasing nearly 60% of all new cars sold.
However he warned: “The coming year could be even tougher and we expect fleet customers to continue to dominate the new car market. Business users recognise the advantages of buying newer, safer and more fuel efficient cars, but only as long as manufacturers resist the urge to push up prices.
“The continued growth in sales of premium fleet brands including Audi, BMW, Mercedes and VW shows that cars with high list-prices can still be a very attractive business option because of their fuel-efficiency and high residual value, which gives them a low-cost of ownership.”
Record breaker
2011 was the year that many manufacturers enjoyed record sales.
Skoda smashed its previous UK best of 41,240 before December, going on to breach the 45k mark, while SEAT and Mercedes-Benz both set new all-time sales records.
Peter Wyhinny, MD for SEAT UK, said it was no fluke: “The entire SEAT UK team and our growing network of excellent dealers nationwide can rightly take great pride in this fabulous achievement.
“SEAT has an ambitious plan for growth in this country and our performance in 2011 clearly demonstrates that it is firmly on track.
“I’m thrilled to see so many more new car buyers not only considering SEAT, but actually taking the decision to buy one of our sporty, dynamic and exciting new cars.”
Dr. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, commented: “In 2011, we sold more vehicles than ever before. We’re very satisfied with our sales development.”
It may not have been a record-breaking year for Volvo but there was some consolation who saw sales outperform the year before by 20%.
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