NI car dealers claw back some lockdown losses in October, but still on course for worst year on record

CAR dealers in the north continued to claw back from the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown during October, but the latest data suggests the industry will record its worst year on record.

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), 3,344 new cars were registered here last month, 5.6 per cent more than October 2019.

It brings the number of new cars sold for the year to date to 31,533.

Although well down on the 46,297 sales the industry recorded for the same period in the first 10 months of 2019, the improvement has again narrowed the shortfall.

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The gap in sales between 2020 and 2019 now stands at 31.9 per cent.

That gap had been as wide as 50.8 per cent in June.

But consumer confidence has taken another hit from the second wave of coronavirus cases, leaving new car dealers in a precarious position for the rest of 2020.

With just two months left in 2020, the industry remains 15,696 new cars behind 2011, the worst year on record (47,229).

The best-selling new car of 2020 to date is the Ford Focus (909).