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?
We carry on the season with February’s statistics (based on the SMMT figures for UK new car registrations in February 2012) and they are down 2.5% on last February (which was 7.7% down on the previous year so the downward trend continues), with a decrease of 1,556 units to 61,868 cars registered for the month.
This month the top 9 positions all outperformed the market with the top two of Ford (I double checked and Ford are back at the top for the first time since I don’t know when) recording a respectable 19% increase on February 2011 (1,415 units) and a jump of 13 places on last month and Volvo (getting a nosebleed) with a slightly more modest but still decent 17% increase. In third place (down from second last month) are consistent performers Kia with a not too shabby 12% and 188 unit improvement on last February. Just 4 German owned manufacturers in the top 10 this month as the Teutonic fall from grace continues.
We welcome MINI back this month after their brief disappearance in January rising back to 7th with a 7% improvement on last year. Another returnee is Mazda with an embarrassing 18% decline at 17th but back in the top 20 nevertheless. The biggest faller this month are Skoda slipping from 5th to 14th with a 2% setback but there’s good news for Renault (at last!) as they pull themselves up by their bootstraps and climb 2 places from last to 18th with a woeful 22% decline on February 2011.
Last this month are the new whipping boys Honda whose form continues to desert them, suffering a dispiriting 34% and 699 unit reverse on last year.
The SMMT remain upbeat with chief Executive Paul Everitt commenting “The February new car market was broadly in line with industry expectations with a welcome increase in private retail activity.”
Let’s hope the upbeat messages continue into what many still anticipate being an extremely challenging year for the business.
Car Makers Premier League February 2012
| POS | Manufacturer | Feb 2011 | Feb 2012 | Diff | % |
| 1(14) |  | 7,542 | 8,957 | 1,415 | 19 |
| 2(8) |  | 740 | 865 | 125 | 17 |
| 3(2) |  | 1,563 | 1,751 | 188 | 12 |
| 4(6) |  | 2,661 | 2,969 | 308 | 12 |
| 5(4) |  | 2,881 | 3,210 | 329 | 11 |
| 6(7) |  | 1,343 | 1,443 | 100 | 7 |
| 7(-) |  | 1,173 | 1,260 | 87 | 7 |
| 8(12) |  | 3,783 | 3,983 | 200 | 5 |
| 9(9) |  | 3,052 | 3,160 | 108 | 4 |
| 10(15) |  | 820 | 837 | 17 | 2 |
| 11(18) |  | 2,499 | 2,549 | 50 | 2 |
| 12(11) |  | 1,956 | 1,972 | 16 | 1 |
| 13(10) |  | 7,569 | 7,528 | (41) | (1) |
| 14(5) |  | 1,690 | 1,653 | (37) | (2) |
| 15(13) |  | 2,032 | 1,980 | (52) | (3) |
| 16(20) |  | 3,577 | 3,248 | (329) | (9) |
| 17(-) |  | 1,282 | 1,055 | (227) | (18) |
| 18(19) |  | 1,807 | 1,415 | (392) | (22) |
| 19(17) |  | 9,812 | 7,102 | (2,710) | (28) |
| 20(16) |  | 2,049 | 1,350 | (699) | (34) |
