SCOTS BEST SELLERS

Scotland’s new car market skidded further into reverse last month as faltering consumer confidence and fears over additional diesel taxes took their toll.

Industry figures yesterday revealed a 24.2 per cent slide in registrations to 11,585 vehicles, compared with November last year.

The Scottish Motor Trade Association (SMTA) described it as a “dramatic slowdown”, and pointed to sharp reductions in volumes in the business and fleet sectors.

Sandy Burgess, chief executive of the SMTA, said: “There can be no doubt that we are now seeing the full impact of the slowdown in the economy exacerbated by the double whammy brought about by the consumer concerns over Brexit and the continued process of ‘the demonisation of diesel’ by politicians across the UK.”

Across the UK, the new car market declined for an eighth consecutive month. Just over 163,500 new cars were registered in November, down 11.2 per cent on the same month last year, according to the Soci-

0 There was a 30.6% decline in demand for diesel cars during November ety of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The organisation blamed a 30.6 per cent slump in demand for diesel cars on the “ongoing anti-diesel messages from government”.

Petrol cars were up 5 per cent, while alternativelyfuelled vehicles rose 33.1 per cent to achieve a market share of 5.4 per cent.

Uk-wide, some 2.39 million new cars have been registered so far this year, a decrease of 5 per cent on the same period in 2016. SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “Diesel remains the right choice for many drivers, not least because of its fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions.

“The decision to tax the latest low emission diesels is a step backwards and will only discourage drivers from trading in their older, more polluting cars.

“Given fleet renewal is the fastest way to improve air quality, penalising the latest, cleanest diesels is counter-productive and will have detrimental environmental