Car Makers Premier League - May 2011

It’s time once more for the Car Makers Premier League where each and every month we examine the top 20 manufacturers by number of units registered and see just how they look when compared with the previous month. At the end of the year who will be crowned champion? Who will drop out of the top 20 as the year unfolds and which high achievers will be promoted?

May’s statistics (based on the SMMT figures for UK new car registrations in May 2011) revealed that 150,431 new 11-plate cars were registered in the month, a decline of just 1.7% (2,664 units) on May 2010. The market is 7.3% down over the first five months of this year and Paul Everitt SMMT Chief Executive remains upbeat “Consumers remain cautious, but with significantly improved fuel economy, service plans and more affordable finance, there is great value on offer across the market.”
In May 2010 the market, still impacted by scrappage registrations (2.7% of registrations to be exact), recorded a 13.5% increase on the previous year to 153,095 units.

Overall only the top 8 positions outperformed the market this month with Mini back at number 1 (an impressive 24% up on May 2010) Skoda moving up to number 2 with a 21% increase on last year and last month’s number 1 Nissan into 3rd position with a 17% increase on May 2010. Following up behind are VW in 4th (14% increase) Mercedes in 5th (14%), BMW in 6th (11%), Vauxhall in 7th (6%) and Audi in 9th (2%). Once again this means 6 of the top 8 are German owned manufacturers.

The only other manufacturer to make it in to positive territory was Ford (staying at 9th with a very modest 1% increase on May 2010).

For the first time in what seems like ages the Top 20 manufacturers in May remain unchanged with just a changing of positions. Biggest positive movers this month are the aforementioned MINI up from 12th last month to 1st, Skoda up from 8th to 2nd and Volvo up from bottom in April to mid-table mediocrity this month. Biggest faller was Hyundai dropping for 6th to 13th with a 7% decline on May 2010 while Renault continue their long slide back to the bottom, where they spend pretty much most of last year, dropping to 19th from 17th with a 34% reverse.

Bottom this month are Honda with a 37% decline on last year (slipping from 18th last month).

According to the SMMT “The market is constrained by the unsettled economic backdrop, with consumer confidence suppressed by concerns over employment levels, low wage growth and rising costs of living. Private demand continues to fall, down 15.3% in May and by 18.9% over the year-to-date. Total market volumes have been supported by fleet demand, which rose by 11.1% in May.”

Nervous times ahead.

Car Makers Premier League May 2011

Pos	Manufacturer	May 2010	May 2011	Diff	%
1(12)		3,445	4,262	817	24
2(8)		3,694	4,484	790	21
3(1)		6,734	7,892	1,158	17
4(5)		13,516	15,399	1,883	14
5(3)		5,327	6,050	723	14
6(2)		8,903	9,883	980	11
7(7)		17,771	18,839	1,068	6
8(4)		8,881	9,081	200	2
9(9)		21,300	21,581	281	1
10(20)		2,969	2,851	(118)	(4)
11(10)		2,575	2,421	(154)	(6)
12(11)		5,280	4,953	(327)	(6)
13(6)		4,581	4,270	(311)	(7)
14(19)		4,194	3,873	(321)	(8)
15(15)		8,208	7,452	(756)	(9)
16(16)		2,713	2,401	(312)	(12)
17(14)		4,093	3,104	(989)	(24)
18(13)		6,276	4,370	(1,906)	(30)
19(17)		6,812	4,488	(2,324)	(34)
20(18)		4,470	2,835	(1,635)	(37)