U.K. Car Sales Post October Increase

U.K. new-car sales rose 4% to 157,314 units in October for a 10-month total up 10.2% to 1,952,238, prompting the industry to raise its full-year forecast from 2.22 million to 2.25 million.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders also predicts the market will stabilize and grow about 1% in both 2014 and 2015.

“With October new-car registrations up, we have now seen 20 consecutive months of growth," SMMT CEO Mike Hawes says in a statement.

“These sustained rises have been driven by robust private demand, a trend that has given us the confidence to raise our year-end forecast to 2.25 million units – 10% ahead of last year.”

The Ford Fiesta was the top-selling model in October with 8,574 units, ahead of the Vauxhall Corsa (5,155) and Ford Focus (5,059). The same three models led the 10-month total, with the Fiesta delivering 104,621 units, followed by the Focus (76,493) and Corsa (72,903).

Ford says the U.K. was Europe’s strongest market for Fiesta sales during the first nine months of 2013, with more than 96,000 deliveries, followed by Germany, Italy, France and Spain.

Commercial-vehicle sales jumped 27.3% to 27,578 units in October for a 10-month total up 9.8% to 266,934.

Van deliveries rose 26.3% for the month to 22,473 units for an 11% year-to-date improvement to 227,477. Truck demand grew 32% to 5,105 units, lifting year-to-date volumes 3.2% to 39,457.

SMMT Commercial Vehicle Manager Nigel Base says both the van and truck markets showed great strength in October. “We anticipated this late strength in the truck market and SMMT has raised its (full-year) forecast for van registrations to 264,100 units, a 10.2% rise on last year,” he says.

Ford’s U.K. market leadership increased in October, extending its car-sales advantage over its nearest rival 18.1% for the month and 9.5% year-to-date, putting it on course for its 37th consecutive year as the region’s most popular brand.

Ford’s October car sales rose 2.8% to 21,325 units for a 10-month total up 10.3% to 270,342. Year-to-date CV sales grew 5.4% to 61,360 units, with its Transit model on track to record its 48th straight year as the U.K.’s best-selling CV.