Scottish new car registrations drop 16.8 per cent in May

Whilst disappointing the result is in line with the expectations of the industry’s representative body the

Scottish Motor Trade Association (SMTA).

Industry boss, Sandy Burgess, said: “There is no doubt that the triple whammy of the pull forward

of registrations in March, the cooling of the market and the uncertainty brought about by the general election has created this scenario. We expect this trend to continue over the summer months possibly until we reach the September plate change”.

Vauxhall retained the market leadership with 12.6 per cent of the Scottish registrations year to date. Ford narrowed the gap to 1.6 per cent coming in second place with VW achieving a strong third position.

Scotland’s favourite car was the Ford Fiesta with Vauxhall’s Astra and Corsa coming in second and third

respectively. Year to date the Corsa retains the top spot.

May’s registrations show all regions of Scotland in decline with Dumfries & Galloway recording a huge 21.8 per cent drop on last year. The rest of the UK was also in decline at 7.7 per cent down in the month and 0.56 per cent for the year to date, Scotland for the year to date has recorded a 2.08 per cent drop.

Burgess added: “The Scottish market has historically had a stronger penetration on private registrations than the rest of the UK In these circumstances the triple whammy effect will have a greater impact.”

Diesel registrations show continued shift towards petrol with significant percentages increases for electric vehicles also being recorded.