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New car sales slump again as parts shortage continues to hold back deliveries

Time 2 years ago

The number of new cars registered in the UK slumped by nearly 21 per cent last month, latest figures show.

Data released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed 124,394 cars rolled out of showrooms in May.

May 2022 was compared to the same month last year which was the first full month of showrooms being open following the easing of lockdown restrictions.

Despite this, May 2022 was still down by 20.6 per cent compared to May 2021 and showed the impact of ‘continued global supply chain distribution’, said the SMMT.

Putting aside the pandemic-hit May 2020 market, last month was the worst May since 1992.

While purchases from private buyers fell by 10.3 per cent, this market rose by 6.1 percentage points year-on-year to 53.2 per cent thanks to carmakers prioritising deliveries.

The overall market is now down by 8.7 per cent this year, equivalent to 62,724 fewer units.

Battery electric vehicles were up by 17.7 per cent, representing one in eight new cars joining the roads last month.

Plug-in hybrids declined by 25.5 per cent, while hybrids were up 12 per cent, meaning deliveries of electrified vehicles accounted for three in 10 new cars, said the SMMT.

Superminis continue in popularity and remain the most sought after type of new car, making up nearly 33 per cent of registrations last month.

The small volume luxury car segment was the only area of growth, up 16.8 per cent, to 369 units.

The Vauxhall Corsa was the month’s best-seller with 4,399 units to its name, followed by the Ford Puma (3,580) and Ford Kuga (3,379).

In fact, the Puma and Kuga are the only models wearing the blue oval to appear in the year-to-date chart, with the Fiesta and Focus slipping out of the top-10 list.

The Corsa remains the best-selling car so far in 2022 with 17,198 registrations, followed by the Puma (15,426) and Nissan Qashqai (13,596).

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: ‘In yet another challenging month for the new car market, the industry continues to battle ongoing global parts shortages, with growing battery electric vehicle uptake one of the few bright spots.

‘To continue this momentum and drive a robust mass market for these vehicles, we need to ensure every buyer has the confidence to go electric.

‘This requires an acceleration in the rollout of accessible charging infrastructure to match the increasing number of plug-in vehicles, as well as incentives for the purchase of new, cleaner and greener cars.

‘Delivering on Net Zero means renewing the vehicles on our roads at pace but, with rising inflation and a squeeze on household incomes, this will be increasingly difficult unless businesses and private buyers have the confidence and encouragement to do so.’

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