PoloDriver

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

Is there no stopping the Polo Vivo? Once again, it was the best-selling car in South Africa in April 2011, according to figures released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA), posting an impressive sales tally of 2221 units. It was good news for the Polo 6R – 2011 South African Car of the Year – too, as it was once more behind its stablemate, in second place with 1955 cars finding new owners. During April 2011, a total of 26,347 new passenger cars were sold in South Africa, a decline of 25.1% when compared to March, but a rise of 11.7% when compared to April 2010. South African year-to-date sales of new passenger cars in 2011 are now 22.4% above January to April sales in 2010.

‘Volkswagen Group South Africa captured 24.3% of the passenger market in April with 6428 units sold. Polo Vivo again dominated the market, with Polo a close second. Just over a year after its launch, we are still elated by the reaction from the market to our entry-level Polo Vivo,’ said Mike Glendinning, Director of Sales and Marketing, Volkswagen Group South Africa. 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 latest set of UK sales figures from the are in from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ (SMMT), and the Polo’s popularity among the UK car-buying public appears undimmed. 4524 Polos found new homes in April 2011, meaning it was sixth in the monthly table – a rise of one place over March. It also sits at sixth place in the year-to-date tallies. The Ford Fiesta was once again the top seller, while Volkswagen’s Golf was runner-up in April (and the bet diesel seller), a jump of three places from March’s charts. There was yet more reason for VW to celebrate, too: the Passat slipped into the top ten at number 10, with the arrival of the new model no doubt playing a part.

New car registrations were ahead of expectations despite challenging conditions last month. The April new car market in the UK fell by 7.4% to 137,746 units. This was the 10th successive decline in volumes, although the market was 1.5% ahead of forecast and on par with the 2010 market with scrappage volumes removed. Overall, registrations over the first four months of 2011 were down 8.5% to 696,082 units. ‘New car registrations in April demonstrated continued stability in the marketplace, with demand remaining lower than in 2010, although slightly ahead of industry expectations,’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. ‘The coming months will remain challenging, but we do expect to see a return to growth in the second half of the year.’ The UK’s top 10 best-selling cars for April 2011 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 6755 (34,679, 1st)
2 Volkswagen Golf: 4973 (22,074, 5th)
3 Vauxhall Astra: 4900 (22,150, 4th)
4 Vauxhall Corsa: 4888 (25,424, 3rd)
5 Ford Focus: 4843 (29,278, 2nd)
6 Volkswagen Polo: 4524 (16,738, 6th)
7 Vauxhall Insignia: 3912 (15,816, 7th)
8 Nissan Qashqai: 3738 (12,991, 9th)
9 BMW 3 Series: 3133 (13,274, 8th)
10 Volkswagen Passat: 2720

(The 2011 best-seller absent from April’s sales figures is the Peugeot 207 selling 12,188 units in 10th place.)

Now that the latest set of UK sales figures from the are in from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ (SMMT), the headline as far as we’re concerned is that the Polo is still a favourite among the UK car-buying public. In March 2011, 7634 Polos found new homes, making it a bigger seller in the UK than the Mini, a fact not reported that often. Overall, it sits one place higher at sixth in the year-to-date tallies. The top five sellers are the same in both the March and 2011-so-far lists, with the perennial Fiesta, Focus, Corsa and Astra – from Ford and Vaxuhall repectively – having little to fear from rivals. The Fiesta was once again the top seller in March, posting figures more than double of the Polo. It also took the crown for Q1, too, even with supermini volumes falling during March, although their market share edged up to 38.4%.

Demand for the new ‘11’ plate was just ahead of the SMMT’s forecast by 1.4%. Volumes in March were down 7.9% on last year, but with the 13.0% of 2010 scrappage-related volumes removed, the market was up 5.9%. ‘The UK saw 366,101 new cars registered in March, demonstrating sustained demand in what is traditionally the biggest month of the year,’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. March 2011’s results also paint a more positive picture of the UK market as a whole. Registrations in Q1 were down 53,212 units or 8.7%, but at 558,336 units, were over 11,000 units ahead of industry expectations. The market is expected to decline further in Q2, before recovering in the second half of the year. Q1 also recorded the lowest ever average new car CO2 emissions, down 3.4% to 140.3g/km. The UK’s top 10 best-selling cars for March 2011 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 19,676 (27,924, 1st)
2 Ford Focus: 14,370 (24,435, 2nd)
3 Vauxhall Corsa: 13,556 (20,536, 3rd)
4 Vauxhall Astra: 10,704 (17,250, 4th)
5 Volkswagen Golf: 10,282 (17,101, 5th)
6 Vauxhall Insignia: 7826 (11,904, 7th)
7 Volkswagen Polo: 7634 (12,214, 6th)
8 Peugeot 207: 7189 (10,335, 8th)
9 Mini: 7040
10 BMW 3 Series: 6103 (10,141, 10th)

(The 2011 best-seller absent from March’s sales figures is the Nissan Qashqai selling 9253 units in 10th place.)

The Polo Vivo’s reign as the best-selling car in South Africa continues. Figures released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) reveal that 2768 Polo Vivos found buyers, well over a third of Volkswagen’s total sales figures of 7292 units for March 2011. The latest fifth-generation Polo 6R –  recently announced as the 2011 South African Car of the Year – did well, too, selling 1823 units. And all this Volkswagen success in a market which increased by 3.3% when compared to February 2011. Figures faired even better than in March 2010 – 35,167 new passenger cars took to South African roads in the same month this year, up 23.6%. Year-to-date sales of new passenger cars in 2011 are 25.5% above the same first quarter sales period in 2010. With both valuable Polo brands posting such impressive sales figures, Volkswagen South Africa is a truly dominant force in the local small car market.

‘Volkswagen Group South Africa captured 20.7% of the passenger market in March. Polo Vivo was once again the top seller. Polo, sold 1823 units during March, giving the VW brand a dominant share of the small car, entry segment,’ said Mike Glendinning, Director of Sales and Marketing, Volkswagen Group South Africa. 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. Available as both a three or five-door hatchback and four-door booted saloon with 74bhp/84bhp 1.4-litre and 103bhp 1.6-litre petrol engines, two trim levels are available: base and Trendline. Costing from R104,065 for the 1.4 hatchback to R156,220 for the 1.6 Trendline Sedan, the 2011 Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo, built from 2005 to 2009.