A GOOD YEAR FOR...

SEAT

VW’S Spanish brand has been crying out for SUVS for years and it really saw the benefit of the Ateca in 2017, with sales up 18 per cent, to over 56,000 cars. 2018 could be strong too, thanks to Ibiza and Arona.

MERCEDES

TWO cars (A-class and C-class) in the UK’S top 10 best-sellers marked a good finish to 2017 for Merc. Crucially, it overtook its German premium rivals, Audi and BMW, with more than 180,000 registrations.

TOYOTA

A STRONG focus on petrol and hybrid helped Toyota, which increased its numbers by over five per cent in a market that was down by a similar margin. The Japanese brand shifted more than 100,000 cars.

ASTON MARTIN

The arrival of the all-new DB11 helped to bolster Aston’s fortunes, and the British luxury sports car brand enjoyed a surge in sales, up by more than 62 per cent, to more than 1,400 units.