UK new car sales down 4.4% last year

New car sales in Britain fell 4.4% in 2011 compared with 2010, official figures today showed.

A total of 1,941,253 new registrations were recorded last year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.

This compared with a figure of 2,030,846 for 2010 when sales were boosted by the Government’s car scrappage scheme.

New car sales in December 2011 totalled 119,188 – a 3.7% drop on the December 2010 figure.