Tayside and Fife to fore in increased new car sales

Tayside and Fife have been among the key drivers of new car sales in Scotland this year.

Both regions have seen a spike of more than 15% in new registrations in the first five months of the year, well above the Scottish national average uplift of 11.1%.

More than 7,000 new cars were registered in Tayside in the period, with almost 5,000 being added in Fife.

According to new figures from the Scottish Motor Trade Association a total of 17,800 cars were registered north of the border last month, a 15.8% rise on May last year.

The UK as a whole saw a 7.7% lift during the month with 194,032 new cars being registered, compared with 180,111 last year.

SMTA chief executive Douglas Robertson said: “We are delighted that the May figures show a continued increase.

“We believe this is evidence that Scottish consumers are aware we’re coming out of the recession, and further evidence that Scottish consumers are aware of the low running costs of cars and the fantastic choice and offers available to them,” Mr Robertson added.

Perennial favourites the Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa and Ford Focus were the top three selling cars in Scotland in the first five months of the year.