U.S. auto maker Ford Motor Co. tightened its hold on top spot in the U.K. car market in 2009 due to the strength of its lineup of compact models, even though new-car registrations fell 6.4% year-on-year.
Ford's U.K. market share increased to 15.9% last year from 15.1% in 2008, according to data released Thursday by the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders. U.K. No. 2 Vauxhall, whose performance last year was tainted by a bankruptcy filing by parent General Motors Co. and a planned reorganization of operations in Europe, saw its market share shrink to 11.9% from 14%.
Ford's compact Fiesta, which was restyled at the end of 2008, last year was the best-selling model in the U.K. It edged ahead of the Ford Focus, which had held the No. 1 spot for 10 years.
Ford shifted 117,296 Fiestas in 2009, up 23% from 94,989 in 2008. That figure for Fiesta sales alone was more than the total in the U.K. for some of the world's biggest auto makers: Toyota Motor Corp., for example, saw its U.K. new-car registrations in 2009 slip 2.9% to 102,612 vehicles, while PSA Peugeot-Citroen saw sales drop 14% to 102,574 vehicles. Registrations are a measure of sales.
"Ford's strong 2009 sales performance underlined once again the market appeal of the company's best-ever product lineup," said Ford Britain managing director Nigel Sharp in a statement.
Despite the push toward engines that emit lower levels of carbon dioxide, most of the Fiestas sold in the U.K. were driven by small gasoline-powered engines rather than more-efficient diesel versions, which command higher prices. Consumer choice continues to be dictated by price, said a spokesman for Ford. Fiesta prices start at GBP11,536 while Focuses are available from GBP17,870.
The trend on pricing over environmental concerns was reflected in data that showed the market share of diesel-powered vehicles in the U.K. fell to 41.7% in 2009 from 43.6% in 2008.
Vauxhall's sales last year fell 20% to 237,840 vehicles. Its Corsa and Astra models were third and fourth best-selling cars in the U.K. last year, respectively. Germany's Volkswagen AG saw its market share slip to 8.1% from 8.4% as registrations fell 10% to 161,137 vehicles. VW's Golf model was No. 5 on the list of top sellers.
U.K. new-car registrations in 2009 fell to 1,994,999 vehicles from 2,131,795 in 2008. It was the first time annual registrations had fallen below two million vehicles since 1995, but the figure still was ahead of expectations earlier in 2009. Registrations are expected to fall to 1.8 million vehicles in 2010.
"For the immediate future, it is unlikely that we will return to the heady days of the past decade where unit numbers have been over 2 million," said David Raistrick, U.K. manufacturing leader at consultancy Deloitte. "These numbers were unsustainable and a market correction has been expected for some time.
"Certainly over the short to medium term (3-5 years), annual registrations will remain sub-2 million," he said.
In December, registrations jumped 39% year-on-year as consumers took advantage of scrapping incentives and the last days of a lower sales tax.
Scrappage incentives, which offer car owners GBP2,000 in discounts when they scrap aging gas guzzlers and buy new, fuel-efficient vehicles, are due to end in February. Similar incentives have successfully revived demand for new cars in numerous markets in Europe and in other parts of the world.
Demand in the U.K. also came from consumers who bought new vehicles before a hike in the level of value-added tax. The government cut VAT from 17.5% to 15% at the start of December 2008 to help lift the U.K. economy. It reverted to the higher rate at the end of 2009.
(Source: irco.biz)
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