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British Car Market Shrank 7% in 2018
Registrations of new cars in the U.K. slid 7% in 2018, the sharpest decline in a decade, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders estimates.
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Registrations of new cars in the U.K. slid 7% in 2018, the sharpest decline in a decade, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders estimates.
The group blames the decline primarily on a 30% drop in diesel sales. But it says worries about the impact of the U.K.’s planned exit from the European Union next spring also were a factor.
The diesel slump contributed to a 3% gain in per-vehicle emissions of carbon dioxide in the U.K. last year, according to SMMT. The effect was magnified by the continuing market shift from small cars to larger and less efficient SUV/crossover vehicles.
Europe’s switch to the more rigorous WLTP emission test protocol, which results in lower but more realistic CO2 readings, also contributed.
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