2012 luxury car sales by Manufacturers

Car sales in the UK reached 2, 036, 101 in 2012, according to the year-end figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The total, which represents an increase of 5.47 per cent, is an improvement of 105, 588 on the previous year as the UK became the second largest car market in Europe behind Germany.

Ford’s Fiesta was the top-selling car of 2012, although it was outsold in Scotland by the Vauxhall Corsa, which was the second best seller throughout the UK. The Ford Focus was the third highest seller overall in the UK, followed by the Vauxhall Corsa, Vauxhall Astra and Volkswagen Golf.

Ford enjoyed market share of 13.79 per cent, with Vauxhall in second at 11.36 per cent despite selling 2.6 per cent fewer cars than in 2011. Volkswagen was third overall with 8.96 per cent market share, with BMW and Audi in fourth and fifth (6.24 and 6.05% respectively).

The big losers include Renault (down 40.4% on 2011), Alfa Romeo (-37.3%) and Mazda (-16.1%). Some niche producers also fared badly, with Lotus down 58.4 per cent after selling only 137 cars in 2012, while Maserati fell by 20.4% and Aston Martin by almost 9%.

The final sales figures for December show that England was 3.82 per cent up on 2011 with 108, 171 registrations. Sales in Wales were up by 16 per cent in December, at 4, 238 units. Northern Irish sales improved, too, by 5.5 per cent, although the Scottish market declined two per cent in the final month of the year.