THE Qashqai is still the UK’s top crossover choice, according to the latest registration figures published by the SMMT.
Nearly 8,500 units of the Sunderland-built crossover were registered in the crucial plate-change month of March – a result which won the Qashqai sixth place in the March bestsellers list, just behind the Vauxhall Astra and ahead of the Volkswagen Polo.
But the good news doesn’t end there – the Qashqai is still comfortably holding sixth place in the year-to-date bestsellers chart too; ust 1,000 units behind the Volkswagen Golf and just under 3,000 ahead of the Golf’s younger brother, Polo.
Overall the UK new car market is still in strong shape and in sharp contrast with the rest of the Europe.
New car registrations rose 5.9 per cent in March with the total number of cars sold in March reaching 394,806 units.
The SMMT stated March was the ’13th consecutive month of growth in new car registrations’ – volumes now the highest since 2010, when the scrappage scheme was in full swing.
Returning consumer confidence
‘UK new car registrations out-performed expectations in March, the first month of the new 13-plate. The market increased more than five per cent on March 2012 to almost 395,000 units,’ said SMMT interim chief executive, Mike Baunton.
‘Despite ongoing economic concerns, consistent monthly growth in the market is an encouraging sign of returning consumer confidence as motorists are attracted to forecourts by new models and the latest technologies.’