Car industry suffers weakest September in more than 20 years
Demand for new cars fell to a 21-year low last month, industry data shows.
Some 328,041 new cars were registered in the UK in September, down 4.4% on the total of 343,255 during the same month in 2019, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
This was the weakest September performance since 1999 when new number plates began being issued twice per year, in March and September.
"Despite the boost of a new registration plate, new model introductions and attractive offers, this is still the poorest September since the two-plate system was introduced in 1999"@MikeHawesSMMT on Sept new car registration figureshttps://t.co/EGaSDCFTkSpic.twitter.com/5Dl9kXL7eb
— SMMT (@SMMT) October 5, 2020
Sales of battery electric and plug-in hybrid cars bucked the trend with rises of 184.3% and 138.6% respectively.
Overall registrations during the first nine months of the year were down 33.2% compared with the same period in 2019.
