Plummeting gas-guzzler sales could be good news for buyers
Author: Robin Brown
Published: 05 September 2008
The new car market fell 18.6 per cent last month, but for brands with fleets of the highest CO2-emitting cars the pain was even worse.
Figures revealed by cleangreencars.co.uk and SMMT show that four brands with the highest CO2 profiles – Porsche, Land Rover, Jeep and Chrysler – saw sales slide by more than a half in August.
Chrysler was worst hit in August with sales plummeting by 66 per cent, although Chrysler UK has struggled as a brand over the two years.
Chrysler-family brands Jeep and Dodge fell by 58 per cent and 41 per cent respectively. All three manufactures have a fleet average CO2 of above 194g/km.
Porsche, Land Rover and Lexus all fell by over 50 per cent in August. Only Subaru, of the manufacturers with ten worst fleet CO2 averages, increased sales to 12.9 per cent.
“These are worrying times for manufacturers of sports cars, luxury brands and 4x4s,” commented Jay Nagley, Clean Green Cars publisher.
“Dealers have taken a big hit in August and the pain can only continue in September. The reign of power and performance looks to be over. As recession looms large, the new kings will be small, low-emission models.”
But Askaprice.com's Business Development Manager Wes Heraty said that the figures could be good news for consumers looking to purchase high-end vehicles.
"Customers who are seriously interesting in getting a new sports, luxury or prestige SUV will benefit from the problems that manufacturers are having, prices are declining rapidly in most of these vehicle sectors and this has a knock-on effect within the leasing and purchase arenas," explained Heraty.
"Customers benefit from better models, freebies and essentially cheaper payments - while dealers are struggling to hit their volume-related bonuses and sales targets.
Brand |
CO2 average |
August sales |
% fall |
Porsche |
275.6 |
119 |
- 57.8% |
Land Rover |
249.2 |
422 |
- 57.9% |
Jeep |
218.7 |
92 |
- 58.2 % |
Chrysler |
216.2 |
125 |
- 66.6 % |
Subaru |
201.0 |
70 |
+ 12.9 % |
Jaguar |
200.3 |
273 |
- 41 % |
Lexus |
194.8 |
119 |
- 59.4 % |
Dodge |
194.5 |
68 |
- 41.4 % |
Mercedes |
192.8 |
1,234 |
- 35.3 % |
Alfa |
182.8 |
216 |
- 32.5 % |
• Compare free no-obligation quotes on any of these models
See Also:
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