New Car Registrations Plunge 9% Yo Y

[Realistbear]

http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1768891,00.html

Fuel costs push sales of new cars into reverse

Mark Milner

Saturday May 6, 2006

The Guardian

Rising fuel costs and a fall in consumer confidence sent sales of new cars into reverse last month.

Registrations fell by just over 9%, to 16,241 units, compared with the same month last year

. Over the first four months the fall in sales has been 5.5%.

"Consumer confidence has suffered ... and new car buyers may well have been affected by household costs, and the breaching of petrol's £1-a-litre barrier," Christopher Macgowan, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said.

Fewer car sales = fewer car related jobs. Tick tock, tick tock..................

[Rinoa]

Maybe they're all saving the deposit to buy their first property.

[libitina]

Or maybe they all MEWed to the eyeballs to buy a new car last year, so they can't get another for the next 25 years

[andy_wants_a_home]

Fuel costs push sales of new cars into reverse

Fewer car sales = fewer car related jobs. Tick tock, tick tock..................

HPI UP = LESS DIPOSABLE INCOME = LESS SPENDING ON NON VITAL ITEMS = NO SPENDING ON NEW CARS = Fewer car sales = fewer car related jobs

HPI UP = LESS DIPOSABLE INCOME = LESS SPENDING ON ALL NON VITAL ITEMS = MOST OF HIGH STREET = FURTHER DEFLATIONARY PRESSURE = DEFLATION = WAGE PRESSURE = LOSS OF JOBS = LESS DISPOSABLE INCOME = LESS SPENDING ON ALL NON VITAL ITEMS (just remembered been here before)

etc..

Rampant out of control HPI is the cause of most of the problems in this country, and the f*****g carp government we have in power.

[jonpo]

Yes a new survey by the halifax shows that first time drivers are saving for an average of 3 years before forking out for their first tank of petrol.

allegedly the inflation in car running costs is up by 7%. sound familiar anyone ?

[Warwickshire Lad]

Fewer car sales = fewer car related jobs. Tick tock, tick tock..................

Certainly the car as we know it is going to have to change over the next several years. Why aren't the fuel-hybrid models more widespread by now ?

We will live by oil and die by oil.. we're just so addicted to the stuff and our cars. When I went down to Milton Keynes over the Bank Holiday I had trouble finding a parking space even though there are thousands of bays all over.

I guess there's opportunity for growth in car production and jobs created to produce "greener cars" but to change the situation from where it is now is going to cause some pain ...

[libitina]

Certainly the car as we know it is going to have to change over the next several years. Why aren't the fuel-hybrid models more widespread by now ?

We will live by oil and die by oil.. we're just so addicted to the stuff and our cars. When I went down to Milton Keynes over the Bank Holiday I had trouble finding a parking space even though there are thousands of bays all over.

I guess there's opportunity for growth in car production and jobs created to produce "greener cars" but to change the situation from where it is now is going to cause some pain ...

You went to collectormania didn't you! My friend spent a fortune there (again), hubby was pi$$ed off because he couldn't go this time.

[The Masked Tulip]

The hybrid cars are not more widespread simply because, IMPO, they are too expensive to buy. Having said that, a report was in an Oz motor mag this week stating that small 'lighter' cars run on petrol or diesel were still cheaper in the long-term. The Aussies are also considering introducing a disposal fee of several thousand Oz dollars for the hybrid batteries - not good - and it now looks as if the EU is going to follow.

IMPO, the Toyota Prius hybrid - a very fine car in many respects - is simply a good 5 or 6K too expensive from new. I think the Which report, or was it Autoexpress, this week had a a survey where many people claimed the price was a reason why people were not buying them.

The problem with UK car-making, one of them, is that the car makers perceive the UK Government as being anti-car and so the car making, partly for economical reasons but also for other ones, are making a statement by moving their car making out of the UK. Autoexpress again, I think, has commented on this recently with regard to why Ford left and perhaps that is a reason behind Peugeot going and Toyota continuing to making rumblings along those lines... If you tax fuel to death, penalise motorists by putting a speed camera on every corner and slap VAT on top of all that no wonder the car makers think the UK is anti-car.

Rant over.

[AvidFan]

Fewer car sales = fewer car related jobs. Tick tock, tick tock..................

So how about a "dead pool" on car manufacturers? What are people's opinion's on which car manufacturers may go to the wall in the energy crisis / recession ? My top 2 are:

1. GM

2. Ford.

in that order.

Anybody disagree or carer to recommend a third ?

AF.

[The Masked Tulip]

I don't think they will go to the wall. They will merely merge, with much fanfare and publicity, into the World's biggest car maker... and then, IMPO, people will be laid off en masse.

Ford are still the biggest seller of cars here in the UK are they not - no doubt fleet selling is a major cause of this and, so I am told by so many people, that both the Mondeo and the Focus are excellent cars... I just cannot bring myself to buy either one of them... but perhaps that is more fool me than anything else...

[Mushroom]

So how about a "dead pool" on car manufacturers? What are people's opinion's on which car manufacturers may go to the wall in the energy crisis / recession ? My top 2 are:

1. GM

2. Ford.

in that order.

Anybody disagree or carer to recommend a third ?

AF.

GM and Ford might eventually merge, possibly under political persuasion, to avoid a shock to the American psyche.

[AvidFan]

<New concept>

The problem with hybrids is that there's not a sufficient gain in economy to justify the price. The 5-6K price difference you mentioned is pretty typical.

In contrast, someone driving a Golf TDCi with a light right foot will get well over 60mpg. The Audi A2 is another very frugal car. Did you know they did a 1.2 diesel that achieved 96mpg but was never released in this country? And that's all standard "fuel burner" technology.

These duel fuel cars are headline grabbing, young-adopter gimmicks at the moment. The Prius, like the Honda... ehm... Integra (???) will give you less than 70mpg without too much of a struggle...

What's the current price of LPG. Anyone know?

</New concept>

[right_freds_dead]

i get 60mpg from my [brand new black mercedes] but only got 18mpg from my previous subaru.

that makes me an eco-warrior......girls....

[homeless]

from what im hearing from people, in the uk the shine has gone off of having a new car.It has lost its status symbol mentality as everyone seems to have one.People are finding that there is nothing wrong with a 5 or 8 year old car, they look as good as new and are mechanically sound.

I think the keeping up with the jones thing has been abandoned by a lot of people when it comes to cars, and is more to do with your house now.I mean have a bmw coupe outside a ex council house, or a 10 year old ford fiesta outside a semi in a better area?

If you take a look about you see more and more typical middle class people driving little ford focus's ect that they drive "A to B"

in a nutshell : The car is losing the snob factor it once had to have a new one for most people, and its the house that means it all now.

[The Masked Tulip]

To be fair to the Prius, which is the only decent hybrid on the market at the moment IMPO, people do not compare like with like. The Prius is an automatic and usually when people compare it with a diesel for MPG they compare it with a manual diesel - when you compare it with an auto diesel then the Prius does very well indeed and often beats many auto diesels of a similar size in MPG terms.

Also, as it is an auto and a very quiet, sometimes silent, car the Prius wins heads and shoulders in terms of a stress-free drive - that is often the main selling point for many.

OK, enough of me being Mr. Toyota's salesman... (Especially as the UK Prius group have now apparently barred my posts as, although I have been considering buying a Prius, my questions must be too probing for their liking.)

That 5-6K difference in price is a big shocker when you look at the overal running costs - petrol either has to soar dramatically in price or you have to keep the car for a very long time indeed - some reports say 5 years, others say 10 years - in order get that difference in initial price back. When you add these worrying developments of maybe laws coming in re the batteries and hybrid owners having to fork out several thousand to dispose of their batteries then - BIG OUCH!!!

If the Prius was the price of a Corolla - which I believe it should be as that is the grouping of cars that it fits into IMPO - It 'feels' a Focus, Golf, Corolla type of car - I would buy one today. However, as another poster on a similar thread this week commented, he got a 6 month old turbo 2.0 diesel Focus for under 10K a few months back then you simply cannot justify paying another 10K, or more, for the hybrid.

[AvidFan]

from what im hearing from people, in the uk the shine has gone off of having a new car.It has lost its status symbol mentality as everyone seems to have one.People are finding that there is nothing wrong with a 5 or 8 year old car, they look as good as new and are mechanically sound.

I think the keeping up with the jones thing has been abandoned by a lot of people when it comes to cars, and is more to do with your house now.I mean have a bmw coupe outside a ex council house, or a 10 year old ford fiesta outside a semi in a better area?

If you take a look about you see more and more typical middle class people driving little ford focus's ect that they drive "A to B"

in a nutshell : The car is losing the snob factor it once had to have a new one for most people, and its the house that means it all now.

Very well said. And I'm ahead of the curve on all of this. It started with property but basically I've stuck two fingers up at replacing things right now.

I have a 13 year old honda derivative that still looks very tidy, is immaculate inside and drives really well. STILL gives new cars a run for their money, especially the cabrios. The drivers really do look hurt if I manage to leave them standing away from the lights - they obviously haven't realised how much extra weight they're carrying.

I'm really "out of reality" with respect to other people's endless gathering of status symbols and pronouncement of their new found wealth. Having said that, I may also be doing it because of my decidedly less-that-I'm-technically-worth salary and poor job prospects. Either way, my homeless situation doesn't grate as much as is used to. At the end of the day, I probably save as much as my co-worker who buys a shiny new Lexus or Merc every 5 years.

AF.

[right_freds_dead]

from what im hearing from people, in the uk the shine has gone off of having a new car.It has lost its status symbol mentality as everyone seems to have one.People are finding that there is nothing wrong with a 5 or 8 year old car, they look as good as new and are mechanically sound.

i dont know. this is my fisrt new car and chicks dig the 06. its noticeable if you drive about.

they all want a piece of me now. ill show them. see !! now whos bozz-eyed ???

when i was an ordinary joe in a mondeo before i built my 'an horrific' enterprize. girls wouldnt even glance back when i did a cool wheelspin or handbrake turn. now im maxed to the hilt and lovin it i have to beat them off with a sh1tty stick. they see the badge. the reg and me. i pass them, licking my lips and honking.

shame that it and me are stuck on a HA estate...

the illusion ends here.

[Levy process]

i get 60mpg from my [brand new black mercedes] but only got 18mpg from my previous subaru.

that makes me an eco-warrior......girls....

60mpg? Pretty good! What is the bhp? In fact, what is the model?

[right_freds_dead]

60mpg? Pretty good! What is the bhp? In fact, what is the model?

its a vito mini van.......after all that talk...

[The Masked Tulip]

live up a muddy lane and I find people seem to find my crappy, dented old polo, no hub caps, sprayed up to the roof with mud to be strangely masculine and intimidating. Women seem to gaze from their lovely shiny cars with a sort of fascinated horror.

Men who live up muddy lanes often have a smallholding, are single and a wad of cash stuffed under the mattress. This has a certain genetic attraction to women of a certain age and certain type - usually mid 40s, divorced, couple of kids in tow. You have been warned.

[right_freds_dead]

not arf. quack quack quack.

[The Masked Tulip]

[Realistbear]

from what im hearing from people, in the uk the shine has gone off of having a new car.It has lost its status symbol mentality as everyone seems to have one.People are finding that there is nothing wrong with a 5 or 8 year old car, they look as good as new and are mechanically sound.

I think the keeping up with the jones thing has been abandoned by a lot of people when it comes to cars, and is more to do with your house now.I mean have a bmw coupe outside a ex council house, or a 10 year old ford fiesta outside a semi in a better area?

If you take a look about you see more and more typical middle class people driving little ford focus's ect that they drive "A to B"

in a nutshell : The car is losing the snob factor it once had to have a new one for most people, and its the house that means it all now.

There is a trend in this direction. Immaculate upscale cars that are 7+ year old are attractive and counter-culture. I bought a 97 Audi A4 (35 mpg) for £2400 although it is not quite immaculate, I still bask in the knowledge that a new one would have cost £24k and would be worth about £16 18 months on. Next up an immaculate 7 or 8 year old Audi TDi for around £4k.

[Mushroom]

Talk about Topic Drift.

Agony Aunty/ Uncle relationship stuff must be off topic.

Come on, this is car stuff, boys toys. Important.

[The Masked Tulip]

Cars are an important topic with regards to the economy and how people are feeling about things generally. It was cars, and washing machines, that pulled the post-1945 West out of the economic waste left by WW2 as millions of people purchased their first car, first washing machine. The sale of gadgets is one of the best barometers as to where everything is going economically.

Right, back to cars... What I find shocking is the sheer price of cars. You can go into a new car dealer these days and be ridiculed if you are not prepared to pay 20K, often more, on a new car. You then go to secondhand dealers who, it seems to me, are increasingly flogging cars in the 10K to 20K bracket and more often than not more at the higher end of that range. It is simply nuts.