U.K. Sales Down for Fourth Straight Month in July

U.K. residents are buying alternatively fueled vehicles at a record rate, with July sales surging 64.9% to 8,871 units.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders says the record AFV result came as the overall market fell 9.3% to 161,997 units, the fourth consecutive month of decline.

The SMMT blames growing uncertainty over Brexit for the sliding market.

“The fall in consumer and business confidence is having a knock-on effect on demand in the new-car market, and government must act quickly to provide concrete plans regarding Brexit,” SMMT CEO Mike Hawes says in a statement.

The AFV demand gave the segment a record 5.5% market share for the month.

The July result left year-to-date sales off 2.2% at 1,563,808 units.

AFV sales after seven months were up 31.5% to 67,528 units for a 4.3% market share, while diesel-powered vehicle deliveries dived 11.0% to 682,538 and gasoline-powered models rose 4.3% to 813,742.

The SMMT says months of speculation about government policies on diesels inevitably has led to a softening of demand and slowed the market shift to newer, cleaner Euro 6 diesels valued by consumers for their fuel efficiency and lower carbon-dioxide emissions.

“While it’s encouraging to see record achievements for AFVs, consumers considering other fuel types will have undoubtedly been affected by the uncertainty surrounding the government’s clean-air plans,” Hawes says.

Meantime, the new-van market edged up 1.1% to 24,766 units, despite a 9.5% drop in demand for pickups, the first in 16 months. The SMMT says the year-to-date result was down 3.1% at 209,692 units, in line with industry forecasts.

Ford maintained its runaway U.K. sales leadership with 16,934 deliveries in July and 185,250 year-to-date. The region’s best-selling vehicles in July included the Focus (1st), Fiesta (4th), Transit Custom (7th) and Kuga (12th).