ECONOMIC worries are continuing to impact on the car market with sales of new models down again in July.
Figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show that July sales were down 3.5 per cent year on year at 131,634 units.
Overall, sales for the year have fallen 6.7 per cent with the new car market being in decline for 13 months.
The Ford Fiesta remained the top seller in July notching up 6,695 sales, closely followed by the new Ford Focus of which 6,235 were sold.
Other top sellers for the month were the Vauxhall Corsa and Astra and the VW Golf.
The market was bouyed by strong fleet sales which were up 2.1 per cent in July and stand at an increase of 3.3 per cent over the year.
Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive, said: “New car registration figures fell marginally by 3.5% to 131,634 units in July, reflecting the impact of slower economic growth and subdued consumer confidence.
“Robust demand in the fleet sector helped to bolster weaker private demand. While the coming months remain challenging, performance in the second half of 2011 is expected to keep the market on course to reach around 1.93 million units.”