LONDON |
LONDON May 4 (Reuters) – British new car registrations rose
by an annual 3.3 percent in April, a stronger-than-expected
reading that pointed to improved consumer demand, the Society of
Motor Manufacturers and Traders industry body said on Friday.
Total car sales between January and April were 1.4 percent
up on a year earlier, and the SMMT said it was raising its
full-year car sales forecast to 1.948 million units, 0.4 percent
higher than the 1.941 million cars sold in 2011.
The figures suggest that the underlying economy may be
stronger than the picture of mild recession painted by official
economic data last month.
“We are seeing a steady increase in consumer confidence with
growth in private demand, boosted by the arrival of a raft of
new products,” said SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt.
Last month, the SMMT reported a 1.8 percent annual rise in
car registrations for March – a key month when many purchases
are made due to a twice-yearly change in vehicle number plates.
British car sales are still nearly a fifth below their level
before the financial crisis.
(Reporting by David Milliken; Editing by Catherine Evans)
