DEMAND for Volkswagen cars among Scottish motorists fell dramatically last month as the fallout from the emissions scandal continues to hit the market.
Sales of new VW cars in Scotland plunged 28 per cent from 1,224 in November 2014 to 880 last month, compared to 20 per cent for the UK as a whole.
There were also steep drops in demand for other brands within the VW Group, particularly Skoda and Seat, although sales of high-end marques including Bentley and Audi held up.
Sales of brand new Skodas fell 34 per cent year-on-year, from 472 to 311, while demand for Seats plummeted 61 per cent with 311 sales in November 2014 compared to 120 last month.
Audi dealerships saw only a marginal decline, selling four fewer cars that last year, while registrations for brand new Bentleys remained unchanged with two last month and two in November 2014.
The Scotland-specific statistics, published by the Scottish Motor Trade Association (SMTA), reveal that there was a small decline in total registrations in Scotland in November, contrary to the UK-wide picture which saw the car market return to growth following a dip in sales in October.
The fall, the first in 44 months, was blamed on the UK feeling the effects of the emissions cheating scandal which engulfed the VW Group in September.
While the UK as a whole experienced a 3.8 per cent year-on-year increase in new car sales in November, Scotland saw demand down 0.7 per cent.
However, total sales for the year-to-date remain slightly up on 2014.
Sandy Burgess, chief executive of the SMTA, said: "I would be reasonably confident that we will now see 2015 ending on a figure very similar to 2014, which given the aforementioned challenges will be a most welcome outcome for the industry.
"Our dealers are, as always, able to react to the challenges of a changing market and I am sure that they will continue to offer both exciting and tempting consumer options for the new car purchases, along with the availability of low cost finance, this means continued availability of excellent deals to consumers.”
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