UK April 2019: Hyundai Tucson snaps first Top 10 in market down -4.1%

The Hyundai Tucson breaks into the UK Top 10 for the first time this month.

The UK new car market recedes again in April at -4.1% to 161.064 units, bringing the year-to-date tally down -2.7% to 862.100. This month fleet sales (+2.9%) are the only channel staying afloat at 90.016 units and 55.9% share vs. 52.1% in April 2018 whereas private sales tumble down -10.3% to 67.807 and just 42.1% share vs. 45% a year ago and business sales implode -32.7% to 3.241. Year-to-date all channels are in negative with here too fleet faring best at -0.2% to 443.666 and 51.5% share vs. 50.1% over the same period in 2018, private sales falling a tiny bit slower than the market at -2.5% to 398.479 and 46.2% share vs. 46.1% a year ago and business sales finally taking the entire brunt of the overall market’s decline at -40.2% to 19.955 and just 2.3% share vs. 3.8% over the first 4 months of 2018. Another oddity: in April both diesel sales (-9.4%) and petrol sales (-3%) are down, with alternatively fuelled vehicles up 12.7% to 6.4% share, one percentage point above its level of April 2018. Year-to-date, diesel sales fall -18.4% to 238.373 and 27.7% share vs. 32.9% whereas petrol deliveries edge up 4.2% to 572.636 and 66.4% share vs. 62% and AFVs are up 14.3% to 51.091 and 5.9% share vs. 5%.

UK April sales 2003-2019. Source SMMT

Brand leader Ford (-10.1%) is in great difficulty, enduring the only double-digit in the Top 8 but remaining in the lead at 11.4% share vs. 9.4% for Volkswagen (+3.8%) at #2. Audi (-5.2%) leaps up 3 spots on last month to #3, reclaiming the premium top spot off Mercedes (-1%) while BMW (+19.7%) surges in 5th place, scoring the largest gain in the Top 20. Kia (+8.7%) advances to #8 while the remainder of the Top 10 is all in decline, with Nissan (-14.9%), Toyota (-9.6%) and Hyundai (-7.4%) the hardest hit and Vauxhall (-5.1%) falling to a paltry 6th spot for the second time in the past 3 months. Further down, Lexus (+30.4%), Bentley (+23.4%), Mazda (+21.5%), MG (+18.2%), McLaren (+14.5%) and Land Rover (+13.1%) stand out.

Model-wise, at #1 and #3 the Ford Fiesta (-28.2%) and VW Golf (-27.9%) endure gargantuan losses, whereas the Ford Focus (+20.6%) excels and gains 4 spots on March to #2. The Mercedes A-Class (+36%) manages an incredible 8th straight Top 5 finish while the Ford Kuga (+24.8%) jumps back inside the Top 10 at #6 and the VW Tiguan scores its 5th ever Top 10 finish at #8, all in the past 11 months. But the hero of the month could well be the Hyundai Tucson breaking into the monthly UK Top 10 for the very first time at #10 just as its cousin the Kia Sportage reappears in the YTD Top 10 at #10 also.

Previous month: UK March 2019: Dacia (+85.5%), Mercedes A-Class (+50.4%) stun in market down 3.4%

One year ago: UK April 2018: Market rebounds 10.4% on weak year-ago base

Full April 2019 Top 42 brands and Top 10 models below.