The Ford Puma has been a popular entity among European and UK-based shoppers since it debuted a few years ago, and has remained at or near the top of the sales charts in both places ever since. In fact, the Ford Puma ranked as the best-selling vehicle in the UK over the first half of 2024, though in July, it slipped to third place before moving back up to the second spot in August – though the crossover still ranked as the number one best seller year-to-date. Now that September is in the rear view, we see that the Ford Puma produced precisely the same results for the second straight month, too.
According to new data from The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Limited (SMMT), the Ford Puma once again ranked second in sales in the UK at 6,681 units, placing it behind the Kia Sportage, which recorded 7,482 sales. The Puma still held onto its spot as the best-selling vehicle in the UK over the first nine months of the year, but the Sportage is quickly gaining ground. In fact, the Puma now only has a 1,362 unit lead, which could evaporate very soon if this trend continues.
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.”
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