UK new car sales see weakest March since 1998

Large traffic as noticed on the M3 motorway heading in the direction of the English coastline, in close proximity to Southampton, Britain, August 7, 2020. REUTERS/Toby Melville

April 5 (Reuters) – British new motor vehicle registrations fell 14% to record the weakest March due to the fact 1998 as semiconductor shortages continued to hit car or truck provides, even though need for battery electric vehicles touched an all-time substantial, sector information showed on Tuesday.

Soaring inflation in Britain, made even worse by rising gasoline prices, could also strike demand for new autos, when the Russia-Ukraine conflict could even more strain automotive supply chains, the Modern society of Motor Brands and Traders (SMMT) said.

“Supplied (that) all-around 20% of total once-a-year registrations are typically recorded in March, the end result is massively disappointing for the sector and underscores the prolonged-phrase effect the pandemic is wreaking on the industry,” the SMMT explained in a assertion.

A shortage of chips, arising from source difficulties during the pandemic and soaring need from customer electronics, has severely hit the car marketplace, with missing very important elements hindering the manufacturing of new vehicles.

Battery electrical autos (EVs), even so, loved their finest-ever month, with registrations in March surpassing people for the total of 2019.

The SMMT claimed 39,315 new zero-emission cars and trucks remaining dealerships final month, up 79% from a year before and accounting for almost a sixth of the car or truck sector.

“There was presently substantial advancement in this phase and, if something, the demand for EVs is now even more robust as charges at the pumps increase on the again of the Ukraine crisis,” explained Ian Plummer, director at on-line car market Car Trader.

The slide in Uk new auto sales, to 243,479 models in March, also impacted first-quarter numbers, with total registrations for the very first three months of 2022 falling 1.9%.

Reporting by Yadarisa Shabong in Bengaluru Editing by Anil D’Silva and Uttaresh.V

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Rely on Principles.