New car market up 26.6% in March

In March 397,383 new cars were registered, a 26.6% rise on a difficult March 2009, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The positive influence of scrappage continued in March, accounting for 12.2% of registrations.

Private buyers led growth, but fleet and business demand also improved.

Growth across all sales types through Q1 2010 demonstrates underlying stability, which should sustain the post-scrappage market.

Registrations of UK built cars rose 52.1% in March.

Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive, commented: “The UK motor industry has enjoyed a better than anticipated first quarter of 2010.

“A strong March performance was underpinned by the scrappage incentive and improving demand in the fleet sector.  The coming months will remain challenging and  headline registration numbers are expected to dip, but underlying demand will continues to improve slowly.”