UK (Commonwealth) _ For the 24th straight month, new car sales in the UK increased by 2.5% in July, with a Kia model taking home the best-seller title.
The highest July number of new automobile registrations since 2020 was recorded last month, with around 147,517, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Demand for electric vehicles (EVs) surpassed market share, making up four out of ten (42%) new automobiles registered in the month.
With 3,999 registrations, the Kia Sportage was the best-selling vehicle in July. With 28,138 sales so far this year, it is now the second-best-selling vehicle in the UK for 2024. With 3,633 Nissan Qashqais on the road last month, it was the second-best-selling vehicle. With 26,514 sold so far this year, this is the third best-selling single automobile in the UK.
The Ford Puma is the best-selling vehicle in the nation for the entire year 2024 with 29,792 sales, while being third in July with 3,418. Fourth on this list with 3,055 sales is the Volvo XC40, followed by the Volkswagen Golf with 3,009 registrations.
The top 10 best-selling cars for July are completed by the Hyundai Tucson (2,917), Volkswagen T-Roc (2,578), Nissan Juke (5,553), Volkswagen Polo (2,541), and MG HS (2,445). Despite a 5.9% decline in registrations from the previous year, gasoline-powered vehicles continued to have the largest market share–52.1%. Diesel sales decreased by 21.9%, making up just 5.9% of total sales.
According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), their current market share projection for pure electric vehicles (EVs) is 18.5% in 2024. The trade association had earlier predicted that the percentage would be close to 20%.
Despite “generous” reductions from manufacturers, the SMMT’s chief executive, Mike Hawes, stated that the industry’s “overriding concern” was decreased demand from individual purchasers, particularly for EVs.
“More people than ever are purchasing and operating electric vehicles (EVs), but the rate of change has to accelerate, since failing to do so would jeopardize the UK’s climate change goals and put manufacturers’ capacity to meet mandated EV objectives in jeopardy.
Greater customer support is necessary to achieve the market shift at the required pace. With September approaching—the crucial month for new license plate sales—action on incentives and infrastructure is urgently needed.
In July, the fleet industry had a 13% increase in registrations, resulting in a 62% market share. In contrast, private demand decreased by 11.1% to represent 36.2% of deliveries for the month. The SMMT has reduced its first estimate of 1,984,000 to 1,968,000 new automobile registrations for this year.
From 2008 to 2017, Kia’s European sales and market share increased gradually, going against the trend of most of its primary competitors in Europe, including Ford, Opel, Fiat, and Citroën. However, similar to its sister brand Hyundai, Kia’s market share leveled out in 2014 as the market as a whole expanded more quickly than that of the South Korean manufacturers.
Thanks to Peter Schreyer’s design, the company gained over a full percentage point of market share between 2009 and 2013. The rapid growth then leveled out in 2013 and 2014 before accelerating once again in 2015 and the years that followed.
Sales of the brand have increased as a result of the German designer’s assistance in transforming Kia’s dull and uninspired style into one that is unique and modern-looking. With the brand selling over 500k automobiles annually in Europe, sales are still rising.
Sales numbers and recent highlights for Kia Europe. Sales data for Kia in Europe have been rising lately. The brand has developed steadily for more than 10 years, with the exception of a few bad years. Kia sold 420,142 automobiles in Europe in 2020. Sales of Kia vehicles in Europe reached 482,748 in 2021. Additionally, Kia sales in Europe rose to 512,701 vehicles in 2022. With its future goals, we anticipate that this brand—which is already booming—will only get bigger.
Hyundai owns Kia, and the two businesses are collaborating to create new electric cars. Through this alliance, Kia may be able to sell more electric cars in Europe. In Europe, the SUV market is expanding at the quickest rate, hence Kia is concentrating on creating new SUV models. Kia’s sales in Europe have increased due to this concentration.
