Used car sales fall in Q2

News release

 

Contact:
Serj Heera
PR Manager, Business Information and Automotive
+44 (0) 115 992 2773 Tel
serjeet.heera@uk.experian.com Email

USED CAR SALES fall IN Q2

Used sports cars buck national trend, but used small car sales suffer from scrappage scheme success

 

Nottingham, UK, 27 August 2009 - Used car sales fell by 6.6 per cent during April to June this year, according to the latest statistics from Experian®, the global information services company.

 

Compared to the same period last year, this was the greatest decline in used car sales volumes seen by the industry this decade.  In comparison to January to March this year, used car sales fell by 1.1 per cent – representing the first decline from Q1 to Q2 since the beginning of the decade.

 

The biggest casualty in Q2 was the used mini segment (down 12.4 per cent year-on-year).  With the scrappage scheme attracting car buyers to small cars in the new car sector, it has been at the cost of small car sales in the used car sector. 

 

A key highlight during Q2 was the leap in sales in the used sports segment (up 6.0 per cent on Q2 2008 and up 19.5 per cent compared to Q1 2009), prompted by the prospect of a hot summer. 

 

Mark Nuttall, General Manager of Experian’s Automotive business, said: “Although used car sales fell in Q2, used car values have been at their strongest and are likely to remain buoyant over the next couple of years[1].  This should help offset some of the decline in volumes.  This has been confirmed by dealer feedback that strong used car values have helped profits either increase or remain stable, despite the fall in sales.

 

“The fortunes of the new and used car sectors are very much linked and the scrappage scheme has had an impact on the industry as a whole.  Although focus on small cars shifted from used to new, the scrappage scheme has helped increase footfall and enquiries to all dealerships.” 

 

Segment

Sales of used MPVs were up 7.6 per cent on Q2 2008, although there was a slight (2.8 per cent) decline on Q1 2009 volumes. The biggest increases compared with Q1 2009 were at the higher end of the market, with the specialist sports segment up 19.5 per cent and the luxury segment up 7.0 per cent.

 

Fuel

Q2 2008 to Q2 2009 saw the biggest increase in used diesel car sales since 2005.  Although hybrid and electric cars continued to see sales rise, the increases were not as significant as in previous years.

 

Make

While the biggest decline in sales continued to be from Rover cars, sales of Nissans (down 11.0 per cent) and Renaults (down 10.2 percent) were also hit hard. Sales of used BMWs and Volkswagens, which had remained strong during Q2 in previous years, saw sales fall for the first time.

 

In comparison to Q1 this year, sales of used Mercedes-Benz and BMW were the only ones to perform strongly (up 3.7 per cent and 3.2 per cent).

 

Segment

Q2 2009

% change from Q2 2008

% change from Q1 2009

SUV/4x4

109787

-3.8

-2.3

Executive

82547

-6.6

2.7

Lower Medium

502460

-7.1

-2.6

Luxury

12073

-3.1

7.0

MPV

93258

7.6

-2.8

Mini

27075

-12.4

6.2

Specialist Sports

74479

6.0

19.5

Supermini

523069

-6.5

-2.2

Upper Medium

338711

-6.1

-2.6

Unspecified

30095

-45.8

11.4

Total

1793554

-6.6

-1.1

Source: Experian’s MarketView Online and the DVLA

 

Make

Q2 2009

% change from Q2 2008

% change from Q1 2009

BMW

80672

-1.4

3.2

CITROEN

66954

-5.3

-1.9

FIAT

58574

-9.3

-2.4

FORD

270497

-8.1

-4.0

HONDA

49955

-7.7

-4.2

MERCEDES-BENZ

52063

-5.4

3.7

NISSAN

64164

-11.0

-8.5

PEUGEOT

136211

-7.6

-1.7

RENAULT

118478

-10.2

-3.7

ROVER

51106

-39.7

-4.5

TOYOTA

63834

-9.9

-3.5

VAUXHALL

246972

-4.4

-2.0

VOLKSWAGEN

125501

-4.3

-1.7

~Others

408573

1.5

4.2

Total

1793554

-6.6

-1.1

Source: Experian’s MarketView Online and the DVLA

 

Fuel type

Q2 2009

% change from Q2 2008

% change from Q1 2009

Diesel

479540

4.7

-1.5

Petrol

1307627

-10.2

-1.1

Electric

495

52.3

43.5

Hybrid

2374

30.9

36.8

Unspecified

3518

-6.3

9.4

Total

1793554

-6.6

-1.1

Source: Experian’s MarketView Online and the DVLA

 

Age

Q2 2009

% change from Q2 2008

% change from Q1 2009

0 to 3

365247

-12.8

-12.4

3 to 6

402327

-10.9

-2.1

6 to 9

388158

-3.2

2.6

9 plus

637822

-1.6

5.0

Total

1793554

-6.6

-1.1

Source: Experian’s MarketView Online and the DVLA

 

ENDS

 



[1] BCA (2009)

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