A SERIES of manufacturer price increases over the last few months and the return of VAT at 17.5 per cent will do little to bring optimism to new car showrooms during 2010.
At present, 2009's best selling Ford Fiesta costs from £11,536 on the road - a significant lift on the £8,695 cost at launch in October 2008 - and the Ford Focus, the UK's former favourite, is now priced from £17,870.
Deals under the Government's new cars for old incentive have accounted for around one fifth of new car registrations - and with the scheme now approaching the cut-off date of March 1, the date the new 10 plate registrations arrive - it would be astonishing if new car sales this year were higher than in 2009.
But there may still be some good news for savvy buyers just around the corner.
'There has been evidence of dealers registering a significant number of cars to themselves during the last few months without necessarily having retail customers waiting for them,' says Simon Harris, consumer editor at Parkers car guide.
'These models will be recorded as having the dealer as the first owner and with delivery mileage on the clock - and if they are held for three months before being sold, they do not contribute to the officially declared 'pre-registration' statistics and will be offered at big discounts compared with the cost of new cars that are subject to order.
'Some are already reaching the showrooms and the cars we've spotted include some versions of the new Vauxhall Astra at prices £4,000 lower than official on-the-road prices,' he says.
Another example is a Fiesta 1.25-litre Zetec on offer at £9,700 compared with the current list price of £13,530. And Parkers claims it has found many more delivery-mileage bargains offering savings of up to £7,250 on the Mondeo 2.0 TDCi Zetec, £5,141 on the Vauxhall Insignia 1.8Sri, £4,359 on the Peugeot 308 1.6HDi Sport , £3,242 on the BMW 320i SE and £3,239 on the Hyundai i30 1.6 CRDi Premium.
Car makers have also introduced a series of low finance packages in an attempt to stimulate sales as the new registrations arrive.
After around 70 new model introductions last year and with another 40 set to arrive soon, buyers have so much to see in the showrooms that latest research suggests the array of shiny new cars is starting to cause confusion by offering too much choice.
'A lot of people are telling us the choice on offer is too vast. Survey findings show 26 per cent of motorists admit to being confused by the number of models now in the showrooms and 29 per cent of say they feel overwhelmed by the choice,' says Glass's Guide spokesman Jason King.
Many of the recent arrivals have been niche models rather than traditional hatchbacks, estates or saloons and multi-purpose 'crossovers' and hybrid petrol-electric vehicles are changing the face of the new car market.
One significant newcomer is the Peugeot 3008 - a crossover priced from £16,599 - which will be available from next year as a new generation hybrid model.
'Consumers can also expect to see more vehicles with environmentally-friendly credentials as more stringent regulations governing tailpipe emissions prompts greater use of green technology,' adds Mr King.
According to Mr King, more British drivers are opting for smaller, more efficient models in an effort to combat spiralling running costs.
'From the Audi A1 to the Chevrolet Spark, well-equipped newcomers will feed the trend for downsizing, providing more choice for those seeking to save without sacrificing their creature comforts,' he says.