Registrations of alternative fuel vehicles soared in April by 48.1 per cent, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), as electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf, the Mitbushi i-MiEV and the Peugeot iON made their first deliveries to UK customers.
Admittedly the impressive rise is driven in part by the abysmal performance of EVs in sales figures over last couple of years-just 55 models sold throughout 2009. The sector’s performance was further boosted last month by the arrival of new hybrid models such as Honda’s new Jazz hybrid, which went on sale in March.
However the upsurge in alternative fuel vehicles comes at a time when the market for new cars is enduring a downturn. Overall registrations of new vehicles in April were down 7.4 per cent compared to the same month of last year, selling 137,746 models in the UK.
The withdrawal of the scrappage scheme which ran through the early part of 2010, combined with wider economic pressures including the recent distruption in global trade caused by the Japanese earthquake all mean that the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) is forecasting that the new car market will remain suppressed through the second quarter of 2011.
The fuel efficiency of diesel cars helped them secure 52.7 per cent of the total market in April, showing a year-on-year growth in every month of 2011. The relentless rise of diesel cars helped boost the sales of popular cars such as the Volkswagen Golf-the best selling diesel in April. Overall the Ford Fiesta was the best selling car of the month.
January’s introduction of Plugged-in Car Grants, worth up to £5,000 to buyers of electric vehicles, attracted 465 customers up to March 31, 2011 and are currently on track to helping sell 600 EVs.
