VW Scandal Fails To Dent New UK Car Sales

A record number of cars for the month of September were sold last month, despite the emergence of the VW emissions scandal.

Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed there were 462,517 registrations, a rise of almost 9% on the same month in 2014.

The SMMT said it meant the industry had sold more than two million new vehicles in the year to date - its best performance in over a decade.

While the figures underlined strong demand for the new 65-plates, they did not reflect any significant impact on sales as a result of the emissions scandal, the industry body said.

The SMMT's chief executive Mike Hawes told Sky News it was "too early", citing pre-orders for VW vehicles and other models that were made weeks before the news broke.

Diesel sales also held up despite the questions facing the wider industry since it was publicly revealed on 18 September that millions of VW, Audi (LSE: 0FG8.L - news) , Seat and Skoda diesel models had engine software to cheat emissions tests.

There are almost 1.2 million affected in the UK alone and the VW Group has launched a web page for drivers of diesels to check whether their cars are included.

The company also suspended from UK sale 4,000 vehicles with the EA189 engine - representing 3% of its new vehicle stock.

On the prospect of confidence falling in the months ahead, Mr Hawes said he anticipated "some levelling off" in sales.

The SMMT's statistics did show that the VW Golf fell out of the top three best-selling cars in September and although VW, as a brand, sold more cars in September than in the same period last year, its share of the market fell to 8.5%.