March new car figures 'up by a quarter'

12/04/2010 14:11

Posted by Louise Clark

The number of new vehicles registered last month was up by more than a quarter on March 2009 figures.

Statistics from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) highlight that 26.6 per cent more new cars were registered in March this year.

The auto organisation put the rise down to the positive effect of the scrappage scheme, which accounted for 12.2 per cent of registrations, as well as improved fleet and business demand.

Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive, said the industry had experienced a better than expected first quarter.

He went on to voice concerns about how the market will fare in the near future, saying: "The coming months will remain challenging and headline registration numbers are expected to dip, but underlying demand will continue to improve slowly."

Among the results is the finding that all the UK's regions experienced growth in new car registrations during the month, with the biggest rise of almost 29 per cent seen in England.