This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/business-11482295
The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Previous version
1
Next version
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
UK car sales fall for third month | |
(40 minutes later) | |
UK car sales fell for the third consecutive month in September, although the rate of decline was less severe than in August. | UK car sales fell for the third consecutive month in September, although the rate of decline was less severe than in August. |
Sales last month were down 8.9% from September 2009, said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). This follows August's 17.5% fall. | Sales last month were down 8.9% from September 2009, said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). This follows August's 17.5% fall. |
Despite the latest drop in sales, the SMMT said sales for 2010 as a whole should still be higher than 2009. | Despite the latest drop in sales, the SMMT said sales for 2010 as a whole should still be higher than 2009. |
It said January's rise in VAT could boost sales in November and December. | It said January's rise in VAT could boost sales in November and December. |
'Slow improvement' | |
The SMMT said new car sales for the whole of 2010 should reach two million, slightly above the total reached in 2009. | The SMMT said new car sales for the whole of 2010 should reach two million, slightly above the total reached in 2009. |
It added that sales in September 2009 had been aided by the government's car scrappage incentive scheme, which ran from March 2009 to March of this year. | It added that sales in September 2009 had been aided by the government's car scrappage incentive scheme, which ran from March 2009 to March of this year. |
Stripping out the boost to sales that came from the scrappage scheme, the SMMT said sales last month had been 16.3% higher than in September 2009. | Stripping out the boost to sales that came from the scrappage scheme, the SMMT said sales last month had been 16.3% higher than in September 2009. |
SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt told the BBC that the UK car market was making "slow but steady improvement". | |
He added: "Clearly it is a tough operating environment, and there is concern about public expenditure, and inevitably business and consumer confidence is not as high as we would like it to be." | |
Looking ahead, Mr Everitt said he expected the first half of next year to be "quite challenging", but the last six months of 2011 to be "reasonably good". | |
The SMMT said it wanted the forthcoming government spending cuts to be balanced by economic growth measures to boost both business and consumer confidence. |
Previous version
1
Next version