New car registrations in Britain rose by 10.8% in June, reaching a level of just over 195,000. This is the 12th consecutive monthly rise, reports industry body SMMT. The fleet market saw sales rise by 25%, helping to compensate for the ending of incentives offered to buyers during the recently finished scrappage scheme. The SMMT has warned, however, that following an increase in sales of a fraction under 20% during the first half of 2010, sales were likely to recede in the second half. Commenting, the organisation’s CEO Paul Everitt said: “The industry still expects challenging economic conditions in the second half of the year, and government action to improve access to credit for consumers and businesses will be important in sustaining the momentum of recovery”.

In model terms, the Vauxhall Astra topped the sales list in June, its first top spot since February 2008. The Ford Fiesta came out top over the half year as a whole, followed by the Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra.

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