Fifth in February: Volkswagen Polo climbs UK new car registrations chart
In a repeat of January, the Volkswagen Polo was one of the most popular cars in the UK during February, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). With 1,512 Polos finding new homes, the small VW jumped three places to number five, the top supermini behind Ford’s Fiesta which again took the top spot. In the year-to-date list, the Polo rose two places to number six.
A 1.4 per cent rise
Overall, 3.399 units of the Ford Fiesta were registered in the UK during February, with its Focus relative maintaining its runner-up position with a figure of 2.537. The Polo’s ubiquitous sibling, the Golf, matched its year-to-date third place position with 2,410 registrations. The Mercedes-Benz A-Class was in fourth place, with a tally of 2,059.
Registrations in the UK actually rose 1.4 per cent compared to January, with a total of 81,969 new cars on the road. An uplift of 1,164 compared to the same period last year, with demand for alternatively-fuelled vehicles up 34 per cent, the 22nd consecutive month of growth. Electric cars also enjoyed a rise in registrations, but the 731 cars still accounted for less than one per cent of the market.
The UK’s top ten most popular cars during February 2019 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) were as follows:
1 Ford Fiesta: 3,399 (8,798, 1st)
2 Ford Focus: 2,537 (6,934, 2nd)
3 Volkswagen Golf: 2,410 (6,340, 3rd)
4 Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 2,059 (5,827, 4th)
5 Volkswagen Polo: 1,512 (4,475, 6th)
6 Nissan Qashqai: 1,449 (5,719, 5th)
7 Ford Kuga: 1,402 (3,654, 9th)
8 Vauxhall Corsa: 1,306 (4,403, 7th)
9 Ford Ecosport: 1,292
10 Volkswagen Tiguan: 1,258
(The 2018 year-to-date top 10 most popular cars absent from February 2019’s registration figures were the Kia Sportage and Mercedes-Benz C-Class with 4,529 and 3,593 units recorded respectively.)
Role reversal
A reversal of recent roles occurred with South Africa’s February 2019 registration figures. The most recent NAAMSA data shows that the Polo Vivo topped the passenger car chart with 2,962 units, just one place behind the Toyota Hilux, which with 3,504 registrations, is the most popular vehicle in the country.
The latest sixth-generation Polo which has traditionally beaten the Vivo in recent months, was South Africa’s second most popular passenger car with 1,605 examples registered. As with January, the Toyota Corolla/Auris/Quest secured third place with 1247 units.
