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August Car Sales Surge in U.K.

Car sales in the U.K. jumped 23% to 94,100 units in August as consumers snapped up clearance bargains ahead of this month’s industrywide shift to Europe’s new emission test protocol.

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Car sales in the U.K. jumped 23% to 94,100 units in August as consumers snapped up clearance bargains ahead of this month’s industrywide shift to Europe’s new emission test protocol.

The Society of Motor Manufactures and Traders notes that sales of electrified cars last month jumped 89% to a record 8% of the overall market. Diesels continued their descent, shrinking 8% to 28,000 units.

Normally, new-car sales volumes in the U.K. are low in August. That’s because buyers typically delay their purchase until September, when new cars are assigned fresh plate numbers that raise their subsequent resale value.

SMMT reports that passenger vehicle sales through the first eight months of 2018 totaled 1.57 million units, down 4% from same period last year.

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