While the Ford Kuga PHEV has long ranked as one of the best-selling plug-in hybrids in markets where it’s sold, the Kuga, in general, doesn’t typically rank among the top-selling vehicles in general. Regardless, coming off a refresh that just debuted a few months ago, the Ford Kuga has enjoyed a bit of a surge in the UK, it seems, as the small crossover managed to crack the top 10 in terms of the best-selling vehicles in that particular country in September 2024.
According to new data from The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Limited (SMMT), the Ford Kuga ranked as the ninth best-selling vehicle in the UK in the month of September after The Blue Oval moved 4,066 units of that particular model – behind only the Kia Sportage, Ford Puma, Nissan Juke, Hyundai Tucson, Tesla Model Y, Nissan Qashquai, Volkswagen Polo, and Volkswagen Tiguan, as well as ahead of the Volkswagen Golf. While the Ford Puma is a regular on this list of the best-selling vehicles in the UK – month after month – it’s the first time we’ve seen the Kuga here in quite some time.
As for the overall new vehicle market in the UK, sales rose by one percent to 275,239 units, and some heavy discounting on EVs helped those models set a new record at 56,387 sales in September. That result increased EV market share to 17.8 percent, a figure that’s forecasted to rise to 18.5 percent by the end of 2024, but that’s still lagging behind the UK’s zero-emission vehicle mandate target of 22 percent. Regardless, the overall market posted its best September result since 2020, though it’s still a significant 19.8 percent behind pre-COVID 2019 levels.
“September’s record EV performance is good news, but look under the bonnet and there are serious concerns as the market is not growing quickly enough to meet mandated targets,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive. “Despite manufacturers spending billions on both product and market support – support that the industry cannot sustain indefinitely – market weakness is putting environmental ambitions at risk and jeopardizing future investment. While we appreciate the pressures on the public purse, the Chancellor must use the forthcoming Budget to introduce bold measures on consumer support and infrastructure to get the transition back on track, and with it the economic growth and environmental benefits we all crave.”
Comment
Don’t be surprised by the Sportage and Tucson – they are the shorter versions of the ones sold in America.
I’m surprised at the per model totals. Nothing like 100K+ units of some of ours per quarter.