TMW - It's that time of the month again, December and full year sales in the United Kingdom.

JAGUAR

DEC 2017 2009 Sales - DEC 2016 2520 Sales - -20.28%
YTD 2017 35544 Sales - YTD 2016 34822 Sales - +2.07%

LAND ROVER 
DEC 2017 4186 Sales - DEC 2016 4967 Sales - -15.72%
YTD 2017 82653 Sales - YTD 2016 79534 Sales - +3.92%

JAGUAR LAND ROVER (COMBINED)

DEC 2017 6195 Sales - DEC 2016 7487 Sales - -20.80%
YTD 2017 118197 Sales - YTD 2016 114356 Sales - +3.36%

AUDI 
DEC 2017 10671 Sales - DEC 2016 11319 Sales --5.72%
YTD 2017 174982 Sales - YTD 2016 177304 Sales - -1.31%

BMW 
DEC 2017 13471 Sales - DEC 2016 15066 Sales - -10.59%
YTD 2017 175101 Sales - YTD 2016 182593 Sales - -4.10%

INFINITI 
DEC 2017 59 Sales - DEC 2016 78 Sales - -24.36%
YTD 2017 3515 Sales - YTD 2016 2891 Sales - +21.58%

LEXUS 
DEC 2017 772 Sales - DEC 2016 750 Sales - +2.93%
YTD 2017 12670 Sales - YTD 2016 13915 Sales - -8.95%

MERCEDES-BENZ 
DEC 2017 10427 Sales - DEC 2016 10220 Sales - +2.03%
YTD 2017 180970 Sales - YTD 2016 169828 Sales - +6.56%

INCREASES BY BRAND BY MONTH-YTD

ABARTH +11.98%

ALFA ROMEO +2.38%
ASTON MARTIN +62.36%
HYUNDAI +1.06%
KIA +4.32%
MASERATI +18.54%
MCLAREN +3050.00%
MG +5.94%
PORSCHE +7.28%
SEAT +18.28%
SUZUKI +5.70%
TOYOTA +5.42%
VOLKSWAGEN +0.69%

DECREASES BY BRAND BY MONTH

BENTLEY -10.01%
CITROEN -18.31%

DACIA -5.09%
DS AUTOMOBILES -42.87%

FIAT -26.59%
FORD -9.71%
HONDA -8.81%
JEEP -54.72%
LOTUS -17.70%

MAZDA -16.13%
MINI -1.19%

MITSUBISHI -11.76%
NISSAN -0.90%
PEUGEOT -16.55%
RENAULT -18.79%
SKODA -0.76%

SMART -14.12%

SSANGYONG -19.22%
SUBARU -25.83%
VAUXHALL -22.24%
VOLVO -1.19%

Well, we have gotten to the end of 2017 and the sales for the year are as expected, DOWN, and down by some serious numbers, Vauxhall, has lost its #2 spot in the sales chart which it has had for so many years, Ford remains number 1, but for how much longer, their sales are slipping, so no amount of new metal, segment leaders, and commercial sales are helping Uncle Henry, and as for Vauxhall, now they are in PSA hands, they are heading the same way, with all of PSA brands dropping sales like a stone, Vauxhall has joined Citroen, Peugeot and DS Auto, in publishing sales significantly lower than the year before.

MG continue to buck the trend, with the all new ZS, which we will be reviewing here later this month, they have increased the warranty on the MG3, along with the already extended warranty on the ZS, this year at the London Motor Show, we should be getting  the new MG6 and the facelifted MG3, both of which will help grow sales further, they could have just flooded the market with cars and models, but they have taken their time, and released each one, and expanded that model, which as far as i am concerned is the right way to go about it, get each model sorted and then move onto the next one, we could however do with a more sporty engine in the MG3, and that would give it the "boy racer" appeal it is lacking.

Volvo has taken a downturn which considering they have so many new or almost new models, the XC-90, XC-60, S90 and V90 are all "new Volvo" along with the soon to be launched XC-40, S40 and V40, the first for the 40 series, is an expanded range of models, but this year should see Volvo head back to growth in the UK.

Brexit, that stupid word that does nothing but cause grief, will be finally dealt wither a saving grace or a death ring, but saying that, if the Eurozone does impact a tax on cars imported from the UK to Europe, we will then do similar, with cars arriving from the Eurozone to the UK, so a no win situation, why couldnt we just stay within the Eurozone

Polestar wins the FIA World Touring Car Championship, and releases special editions to celebrate.

Polestar celebrates winning the FIA World Touring Car Championship with Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar Performance World Champion Editions

Last week, Polestar Cyan Racing won the FIA World Touring Car Championship in a Volvo S60 Polestar TC1 race car, and the team’s Thed Björk secured the Driver’s Championship – the first Swede ever to win a motor racing world title. Polestar has today unveiled the Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar Performance World Champion Edition to celebrate Polestar Cyan Racing’s win.

“The engineers from Polestar and Cyan Racing have worked collaboratively on engineering developments for existing Polestar road cars for many years. It’s therefore fitting that we celebrate the remarkable achievement of securing our maiden World Championship by adding more performance to the cars that have been instrumental this season. With the Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar Performance World Champion Editions, we’ve created an accessible piece of history for many Volvo car owners,” said Christian Samson, responsible for Product and Development at Polestar.

The Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar Performance World Champion Editions are available on all D4, D5, T5 and T6 models and include all available enhancements offered by the Polestar Performance Parts programme, being the 19” bespoke Polestar light alloy wheels plus performance-focused tyres, a free-flow stainless-steel exhaust system and sports air filter as well as uprated suspension dampers and springs. Visually, the car is differentiated internally thanks to interior highlights such as the Polestar gear lever, and exterior details such as a rear diffusor and rear spoiler.

All cars also receive the Polestar powertrain optimisation that increases power by up to 10hp and 50Nm of torque, as well as delivering faster gearshifts and improved throttle response.

The Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar Performance World Champion Editions are available from any Polestar retailer globally, where the Polestar Performance Parts can be fitted to new or pre-owned cars. For more information, visit: engineered.polestar.com

TMW - It's that time of the month again, July's sales in the United Kingdom.

JAGUAR
MAY 2017 2639 Sales - MAY 2016 2200 Sales - -16.64%
YTD 2017 22590 Sales - YTD 2016 19236 Sales - +17.44%

LAND ROVER 
MAY 2017 5265 Sales - MAY 2016 4882 Sales - +7.82%
YTD 2017 50940 Sales - YTD 2016 47441 Sales - +7.38%

JAGUAR LAND ROVER (COMBINED)
MAY 2017 7904 Sales - MAY 2016 7082 Sales - +11.60%
YTD 2017 73530 Sales - YTD 2016 66677 Sales - +10.28%

AUDI 
MAY 2017 12896 Sales - MAY 2016 11582 Sales -+11.35%
YTD 2017 102615 Sales - YTD 2016 101103 Sales - +1.50%

BMW 
MAY 2017 9083 Sales - MAY 2016 9699 Sales - -6.35%
YTD 2017 101721 Sales - YTD 2016 101309 Sales - +0.41%

INFINITI 
MAY 2017 340 Sales - MAY 2016 399 Sales - +14.79%
YTD 2017 2472 Sales - YTD 2016 1964 Sales - +25.87%

LEXUS
MAY 2017 843 Sales - MAY 2016 774 Sales - +8.91%
YTD 2017 7285 Sales - YTD 2016 8190 Sales - -11.05%

MERCEDES-BENZ 
MAY 2017 11617 Sales - MAY 2016 11650 Sales - -0.28%
YTD 2017 110174 Sales - YTD 2016 100253 Sales - +9.90%

INCREASES BY BRAND BY MONTH-YTD

ABARTH +17.53%
ASTON MARTIN +108.20%
DACIA +6.857%
HYUNDAI +3.91%
KIA +7.52%
LOTUS +36.88%
MASERATI +26.81%
MCLAREN +0.00%
MG +4.41%
MINI +2.72%
NISSAN +7.17%
PORSCHE +17.11%
SEAT +21.14%
SKODA +3.19%
SMART +2.12%
SUZUKI +7.79%
TOYOTA +5.02%
VOLVO +6.34%

DECREASES BY BRAND BY MONTHALFA ROMEO -3.60%
BENTLEY -5.22%
CITROEN -21.47%
DS AUTOMOBILES -46.75%
FIAT -16.83%
FORD -4.23%
HONDA -8.99%
JEEP -51.88%
MAZDA -13.88%
MITSUBISHI -15.17%
PEUGEOT -15.05%
RENAULT -8.14%
SSANGYONG -6.98%
SUBARU -20.85%
VAUXHALL -18.77%
VOLKSWAGEN -1.20%

Well, its now four months on the trot and sales are still dropping like a stone, and thats not just it, since last month the UK Government has decided that that from 2040 cars will no longer be allowed for sales with petrol or diesel engines, and thats just bloody stupid, how is this going to work, what about the classic cars, what about the jobs within the motor industry, the small independant garages, petrol stations and so on and so on, the pathetic decision has been made without the thought process behind it.

Yes there are hybrids and electric cars, like the ZOE, Prius and Leaf, and semi-hybrids that rely on petrol/diesel back up engines, and what about the cars that will be virtually unsaleable, like hyper cars, McLarens, Rolls Royce and Bentley's, Ferrari and Lamborghini's, without the back up of massive car brands behind them, what future will they have, Lambo and Bentley has the VW Group, Rolls Royce has BMW, Ferrari, might be able to tap into Fiat Chrysler, but what about McLaren, Aston has the might of Mercedes behind it now, but that leaves many brands than have NO Electric or hybrids in their range.

What about some of the brands that currently have NO cars that will fall into the 2040, well, MG, they are in China, will the Chinese brands fall into place and produce the cars that are needed to be made to become eligible to be sold in the UK, i think that 23 years is a long time, but not long enough in the motoring world.

The current sales in the UK have dive-bombed, with Vauxhall sales showing massive drops in sales, now that they are a part of the PSA Group, it is now the Euro #2 company for sales not only are Vauxhall sales dropping, DS Automobiles are down by over 50%, Citroen are down 21% and Peugeot are down 15% along with Vauxhall's 18% drop, was it really the best idea in the world to combine the five brands together.

What about The other big brands in the UK, Ford, BMW, Audi and Mercedes, well Ford dropped, the others grew, in fact the German brands have shown a steady sales incline throughout the year, Suzuki is another brand that has seen sales grow significantly, they have launched the Baleno, Ignis and New Swift, and with the Swift Sport coming later in the year sales will continue to grow.

Volvo Is another brand that has seen sales grow throughout the year, mainly the steady launch of new models, first we had the XC-90, then the V90 and S90 and next was the XC60, which leaves the S and V 60 and the V/S/XC-40 range of cars.

Fiat sales continue to drop, Jeep is down by over 50% but Maserati is up by about 27, Lotus grows as does Aston Martin, Dacia not only  gets nominated as one of the most reliable brands it is also growing in sales for the year to date, so, thats about it for this month, expect some great launches throughout the rest of the year and thats for reading the blog.

The 2017 Auto Trader New Car Awards was held with the Jaguar XF taking the Car of the year.

• 10,000 car buyers have their say on the UK’s best new cars
• Jaguar XF takes New Car of the year Award
• Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and Skoda scoop two awards each

Auto Trader, the UK’s largest marketplace for new and used cars, launched the inaugural Auto Trader New Car Awards in London yesterday, unveiling 10 new cars which can truly be described as consumer car champions.

Ditching the traditional ‘expert panel of judges’ and replacing them with 10,000 genuine car owners, the Auto Trader New Car Awards relies on the honest opinions of consumers who have bought, driven and lived with their new vehicles, giving them an ultimate authority in shortlisting the UK’s most highly-recommended new cars.

The car owners that powered the Awards were asked about the criteria that governs each of Auto Trader’s editorial reviews, which covers car ownership and driving aspects such as: running costs, handling, reliability, practicality, performance, equipment, interior and safety.

And it’s not just the judging process that has had a refreshing revamp. The Auto Trader New Car Awards celebrates the cars that champion the specific and current drivers for car purchasing, covering areas such as family life, city driving, buying your very first car or just opting for something a little greener.

Auto Trader research reveals that almost half (45%) of car buyers claim they don’t know what the traditional car type categories mean (e.g. SUV). And a third are open to buying new or used car, so providing guidance for consumers is key to helping in their decision making.

Auto Trader Cars Editor, Andy Pringle, said: “the aim of Auto Trader’s New Car Awards was to make car awards simpler and easier to understand for car buyers, but also to put the power in the hands of the consumer, providing an accurate reflection of the cars that are true consumer champions.”

The winners of the Auto Trader New Car Awards are:

1. Best car for families - Mercedes-Benz E-Class
2. Best car for city drivers - Mini Hatch
3. Best value new car - Skoda Yeti
4. Best car for long distances - Mercedes-Benz C-Class
5. Most fun car to drive - Audi TT
6. Best car for new drivers - Ford Fiesta
7. Car brand with best features - Volvo
8. Green Car of the Year - Volvo XC90 Hybrid
9. Best car launched in the last year - Skoda Kodiaq
10. New Car of the Year - Jaguar XF

Pringle, adds: “our New Car of the Year award winner, the Jaguar XF, deserves special recognition, as it came out on top scoring highly in categories such as comfort, safety, power, and good features and accessories.”

Jeremy Hicks, Jaguar Land Rover UK MD, said: "We're extremely proud of any award for our products, but this latest Auto Trader Car of the Year title for the Jaguar XF is a real highlight. Voted for by 10,000 members of the UK car-buying public, it's a clear indication that we're producing cars that speak to everything modern drivers are looking for. That was always our target with the XF – we wanted it to be capable of everything without compromise; stylish, dynamic, luxurious, comfortable and affordable to run. I'm extremely pleased to see that car-buyers agree we've succeeded."

The Auto Trader New Car Awards follows the addition of over 6,000 brand new ‘virtual’ cars now available on Auto Trader. As well as the new car reviews and rich media content the marketplace, consumers can now choose a brand new car and order it from a local franchise dealer.