The financial crisis really showed itself in November’s new car registration figures, with the market recording a figure of 36.8% down on November 2007, though fleet sales were slightly better at just 29.6% down. A total of 59,721 new fleet models found homes last month, 25,000 less than November 2007. Retail sales were down 45.1%.
Despite the downturn, some brands still experienced success in the corporate marketplace. Volvo (up 24.2%), Audi (8.6%) and Jaguar (16.8%) were all up year-on-year, while Mazda registered exactly the same number of cars in November 2007 and 2008.
Those suffering massive falls in registrations included Renault (down 68.4%), Fiat (-68.7%), Mercedes (-56.3%) and Chrysler (-89.5%).
Ford led the manufacturer’s table from Vauxhall and VW, with Audi beating Peugeot to the fourth spot and Renault sliding to tenth. If the French brand, admittedly waiting for the crucial new Megane to arrive in the UK, had registered 91 fewer cars last month it would have slipped out of the top ten and behind Mazda, Honda and Volvo.
Ford also locked out the top two positions in the models chart, with Focus and Mondeo beating Vauxhall’s Corsa and Astra into third and fourth.
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