Tory DOOM™: Cars

[AtW]

UK car registrations plunge in March

Car registrations plunged in March, according to figures from industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Preliminary data shows the UK new car market shrank by 15.7% last month compared with 2017.

Demand for diesel vehicles fell 37%, but demand for petrol was flat and that for alternative fuel models rose 5.7%.

March 2017 was a record month as customers bought new vehicles ahead of a change in Vehicle Excise Duty.

New car sales fell for the first time in six years in 2017, with a 5.7% decrease to about 2.5 million vehicles.

Demand for diesel cars plunged by 17% last year, meaning the pace of decline for such vehicles in March has more than doubled.

UK car registrations plunge in March - BBC News

DOOMed™!

[SueEllen]

And?

I think everyone who has a car under 5 years old who wants and can afford one, has one.

If your market is saturated then you can't make people buy more.

[AtW]

I think everyone who has a car under 5 years old who wants and can afford one, has one.

Most (90%) new cars now are "sold" on the basis of 3 year lease, drop in new car "sales" means people are not renewing leases, it's a sign of things going south in the economy, big ticket item that will have negative effect on VAT...

[washed up contractor]

And?

I think everyone who has a car under 5 years old who wants and can afford one, has one.

If your market is saturated then you can't make people buy more.

You show an abject lack of understanding of these figures. People trade in their cars for a variety of reasons. Market saturation isnt the issue here. The issue is people's confusion on matters such as;

confusing changes to VED on new vehicles,
the current and future VED increases on new diesel engined cars,
the demonisation of new diesels and future use in cities and towns subject to congestion charging,
confusion over the Government's plans ie should people buy petrol, petrol or diesel hybrid or totally electric vehicles which in itself, adds a new layer to people's confusion regarding suitability, range anxiety,
will the Government do another about turn on vehicle motive power in a few years.

And before you ask, these are obstacles my son who sells new cars has to overcome to secure sales so, are real concerns mentioned by real customers rather than nerferous suggestions plucked from thin air.

[WTFH]

The figures are slightly misleading, last year there was a spike in new car sales in March due to the government introducing the new first year VED bands in April.
This year, to try to boost sales, they continued their demonising of diesels, which has worked in reducing diesel sales, but has not caused any increase in petrol. Expect that next year they will put a new tax on petrol cars after finding some new study that proves diesels weren't so bad after all, to try to increase the sale of diesels.

[washed up contractor]

The figures are slightly misleading, last year there was a spike in new car sales in March due to the government introducing the new first year VED bands in April.
This year, to try to boost sales, they continued their demonising of diesels, which has worked in reducing diesel sales, but has not caused any increase in petrol. Expect that next year they will put a new tax on petrol cars after finding some new study that proves diesels weren't so bad after all, to try to increase the sale of diesels.

EU6 diesels are cleaner than many current petrol engines. The problem is the tech on them can be very expensive to replace when it develops a fault frequently due to driver misuse. Too many people did not do their research properly and jumped into these diesels when their mileage and driving was the antithesis of that required for correct operation of the emissions equipment.

JLR also cocked up on some diesel models by siting the DPF too far from the engine such that the engine cannot passively regenerate even under the necessary driving conditions. This means it is forced to regenerate by injecting neat diesel into the DPF. owners not aware of this were \ are switching the engine off during this process leading to neat diesel being dumped into the sump with all the problems that causes. (See Honest John's Q&As for more details).

The Government should have increased the VED for those older diesels that do not meet EU6 and maybe 5 if it wants to get dirty diesels off the road instead of adopting the sledgehammer approach.

[minestrone]

Car industry is in good health.

It's just slightly cyclical at the moment.

[OwlHoot]

And?

I think everyone who has a car under 5 years old who wants and can afford one, has one.

If your market is saturated then you can't make people buy more.

WSS - There's a big problem of oversupply across most sectors (besides property), which isn't helped by the fact that with long-term stagnating wages, but steady inflation and tax rises, most people are pretty skint.

[AtW]

Why can they build more cars (that depreciate) and can't build enough houses?

[WTFH]

Why can they build more cars (that depreciate) and can't build enough houses?

They can build enough houses, just the current government isn't interested in making them available to people who need housing, instead being happy that they are sold on vacant to the highest foreign bidder. (probably Jeremy Corbyn's fault)