PoloDriver

After a two-month absence, the Polo is back in the UK’s top 10 best-selling cars chart. Sitting at eighth place during July 2011, the latest batch of sales figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ (SMMT) record that 3684 Polos were sold, bringing the year-to-date tally to 26,581 units. The unsalable Ford Fiesta was once again the top seller in both the July figures (6695 units) and the year-to-date charts (58,338 units). There was another success story for Volkswagen UK in the top 10 figures for last month, as the evergreen Golf appeared at number four, selling 4272 examples.

‘New car registration figures fell marginally by 3.5% to 131,634 units in July, reflecting the impact of slower economic growth and subdued consumer confidence,’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. ‘Robust demand in the fleet sector helped to bolster weaker private demand. While the coming months of the year remain challenging, performance in the second half of 2011 is expected to keep the new car market on course to reach sales of around 1.93 million units.’ The Polo’s supermini class segment accounted for an improved 34.2% share of the July market in 2011. The UK’s top 10 best-selling cars in July 2011 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 6695 (58,388, 1st)
2 Ford Focus: 6235 (50,060, 2nd)
3 Vauxhall Corsa: 5122 (43,719, 3rd)
4 Volkswagen Golf: 4272 (37,390, 4th)
5 Vauxhall Astra: 4084 (36,697, 5th)
6 Vauxhall Insignia: 4037 (29,987, 6th)
7 BMW 3 Series: 3693 (25,559, 8th)
8 Volkswagen Polo: 3684 (26,581, 7th)
9 Nissan Qashqai: 3391 (23,383, 9th)
10 Volkswagen Passat: 2514

(The 2011 year-to-date best-seller absent from July’s sales figures is the Mini, selling 20,337 units in 10th place.)

Once again, the Volkswagen Polo Vivo was the top-selling passenger car in South Africa last month. In three and five-door hatchback and four-door sedan (saloon) configurations the Vivo claimed the sales chart top spot with a total of 2933 sales, according to the latest figures released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA). In a repeat of recent months, June 2011 also saw the the fifth-generation Polo do well, coming in second yet again, with 2097 units. A total of 9,219 new Polos were also exported to global markets from Volkswagen South Africa’s factory at Uitenhage.

The Polo Vivo was launched in March 2010 as an entry-level model for the South African market, replacing the Series 1 Golf-based CitiGolf, and is available as a three or five-door hatchback and four-door booted saloon with 74bhp/84bhp 1.4-litre and 103bhp 1.6-litre petrol engines. Costing from R104,065 for the base-model 1.4 hatchback to R156,220 for the top 1.6 Trendline Sedan, the 2011 Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo (9N3), built from 2005 to 2009. The new fifth-generation Polo is also available as both a three and five-door hatchback in addition to the recently-launched four-door booted Polo Sedan.

The latest group of sales figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that the Polo has slipped out of the monthly top 10 best-selling cars in the UK list for a second month. But, it’s still standing firm at number seven in the 2011 year-to-date registrations chart with 38,597 units sold. The Ford Fiesta is still number one, selling 51,643 examples, while Vauxhall’s Corsa posted a figure of 30,792 units. Last month, registrations of superminis posted their first rise in figures since June 2010. Other notable statistics from the SMMT’s June’s figures show that the Golf was the best-selling diesel model for the first six months of 2011, but was pushed into second place in June 2011 by the Vauxhall Insignia.

In the wider picture, UK new car registrations fell 6.2% last month with a total of 183,125 units sold. The average new car CO2 emissions fell to a record low of 138.9g/km in quarter two, dipping below 140g/km for the first time, down from 144.2g/km in 2010. Supermini registrations enjoyed an improved market share in June, up one percentage point to 36.7%. ‘June new car registrations continued to perform in line with industry expectations with robust demand in the fleet sector and a relatively weak retail market. The balance of demand makes this a tough time for vehicle manufacturers and their dealer networks,’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. The UK’s top 10 best-selling cars (number of units sold) for 2011 year-to-date are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 51,643
2 Ford Focus: 43,825
3 Vauxhall Corsa: 38,597
3 Volkswagen Golf: 33,118
5 Vauxhall Astra: 32,883
6 Vauxhall Insignia: 25,950
7 Volkswagen Polo: 22,897
8 BMW 3 Series: 21,866
9 Nissan Qashqai: 19,992
10 Mini: 18,619

The Volkswagen Polo Vivo was once again the top-selling passenger car in South Africa last month. In hatchback and sedan (saloon) guises it claimed the top spot with a total of 2547 sales, according to the latest figures released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA). The fifth-generation Polo also did well in May 2011, coming in second, with 1935 units finding new homes. The new Polo Sedan was included in the figures, the first time the latest addition to the South African Polo range has appeared. The nearest challenger to Volkswagen South Africa’s dominance was the Ford Figo (a last-generation facelifted Fiesta), which sold 1128 examples.

Volkswagen South Africa also exported 9408 fifth-generation Polo hatchbacks in May 2011 (all right-hand drive models are manufactured at the company’s plant in Uitenhage). Total Polo 6R sales mean that it’s third overall in South African total vehicle sales (as opposed to passenger car sales) for May 2011, with a 4.7% market share. The Polo Vivo is second in total vehicle sales, with 6.1% of the market, while the Toyota Hilux claims 6.2% of the total market, only selling 11 units more than the Polo Vivo. The South African car market saw an increase of 6% in May 2011, with 41,555 registrations recorded.

The Polo Vivo was launched in March 2010 as an entry-level model for the South African market, replacing the Series 1 Golf-based CitiGolf, and is available as a three or five-door hatchback and four-door booted saloon with 74bhp/84bhp 1.4-litre and 103bhp 1.6-litre petrol engines. Costing from R104,065 for the 1.4 hatchback to R156,220 for the top 1.6 Sedan, the 2011 Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo, (9N3) built from 2005 to 2009. The new fifth-generation Polo is also available as both a three and five-door hatchback in addition to the recently-launched four-door booted Polo Sedan.

While the latest set of sales figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show that the Polo may have slipped out of the monthly top 10 best-selling cars in the UK list, it’s standing firm at number seven for the year-to-date registrations with 19,467 units sold. The Ford Fiesta is still top dog, shifting 42,184 examples, while Vauxhall’s Corsa posted a tally of 30,792 units. Last month, registrations of superminis posted their first rise in figures since June 2010. Other notable statistics from the SMMT’s figures show that the Golf was the best-selling diesel model and that the new Passat has crept into the top ten for the first time this year with 2981 units sold, no doubt helped by the increasing fleet market.

Overall, UK new car registrations declined minimally last month, with May 2011’s sales figures just 1.7% (2664 units) down on the same period last year. Registrations over the first five months of 2011 were down 7.3% to 846,513 units. However, the SMMT forecasts that the market is on track to achieve its full year forecast of 1.93 million units. ‘New car registrations for May 2011 were down just 1.7% on 2010 levels, with strong performances in the fleet and business sectors,’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. ‘Consumers remain cautious, but with significantly improved fuel economy, service plans and more affordable finance, there is great value on offer across the market.’ UK fleet market sales were up 11% in May. The UK’s top 10 best-selling cars (number of units sold) for 2011 year-to-date are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 42,184
2 Ford Focus: 35,770
3 Vauxhall Corsa: 30,792
3 Volkswagen Golf: 27,615
5 Vauxhall Astra: 27,161
6 Vauxhall Insignia: 20,021
7 Volkswagen Polo: 19,467
8 BMW 3 Series: 17,332
9 Nissan Qashqai: 16,074
10 Peugeot 207: 14,968