Fleet Times - Rise in new car sales

Rise in new car sales

New car sales in Britain rose 26.4% in February from a year earlier, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said today (4 March 2010).

However, it added that demand would likely tail off after a car scrappage scheme ends next month.

New car sales last month totalled 68,686 vehicles.

SMMT said cars bought under the scrappage scheme accounted for almost 20% of total sales.

"We expect its benefits to stretch beyond the scheme's closure later this month," said SMMT chief executive, Paul Everitt.

However, SMMT said the impact would diminish in the second quarter and that sales were likely to start falling in the second half of this year as the economic outlook remained uncertain.

Efficiency savings lost as fuel price rises

Rising feul prices have cancelled out fuel cost savings from more efficient company cars, say The Miles Consultancy (TMC).

Nissan unveils the Juke

Skills Minister John Hayes was in Sunderland yesterday to help celebrate the production launch of the Nissan Juke.

Survey shows how to improve driver safety

Fleet drivers, working alone, are traditionally much harder to safeguard than their office-based colleagues.

Driver error to blame for Toyota crisis

A safety scandal over sticking accelerators that almost forced car maker Toyota out of business may have been little more than media hysteria.

Pendragon's sales bounce back

Car dealer Pendragon reported a 48 percent rise in first-half profit, driven by growing demand for high-end cars, and said mass-market and used vehicle sales would continue to grow in 2010.

Electric vehicle grant is introduced

An electric vehicle grant of up to £5,000 per vehicle will be introduced from the start of 2011, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has confirmed.

Fleet transactions move online

The number of fleet service and maintenance e-commerce transactions has risen by more than 20% so far in 2010 and is set to hit three million by the end of the year.