Decline in SW used car sales

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Used car sales in the south west were 4.4% lower than in Q3 2008, according to Experian, the global information services company, which has today published used car sales statistics in the UK for the period July – September (Q3) 2009.

A key highlight for Q3 used car sales was the leap in sales of the used sports segment for the second quarter in a row (up 13% on Q3 2008). Other segments seeing a rise in Q3 included luxury, MPV models and minis. The south west was one of only two regions in Great Britain that continued to see sales of used minis increase (up 0.5% from Q3 2008 and 2.1% from Q2 2009).

After seeing the massive increase in sales of electric car in the previous year (up 391% from Q3 2007 to Q3 2008), sales continued to grow during Q3 2009, but at slower rate (up 23.7%).

Mark Nuttall, general manager of Experian’s automotive business, said: “Although demand for used cars has declined, cost savings and value for money are certainly still focusing the minds of car buyers. Cars that are cheaper to run, such as electric, diesel and hybrid, are continuing to see sales rise.

“Used sports cars, however, are bucking the trend, with demand for diesel models in particular seeing a 75% increase.”