A RECORD number of new cars were registered last month, offering the motoring industry confidence that strong sales will continue into 2015.
Some 16,247 new vehicles were put on the road in October in Scotland, a rise of just more than eight per cent on the same time last year, with a influx of new models and finance deals credited with driving the boost.
More efficient smaller cars were more popular than larger models.
However, the rate of growth north of the Border lagged behind the UK as a whole. Britain experienced an increase of 14.24 per cent, with 179,714 units registered compared to 157,314 for October last year.
Douglas Robertson, chief executive of the The Scottish Motor Trade Association (SMTA), said: "We are pleased and a little surprised to see an increase of this size in October following the record in September. This figure is again a record .
"We had thought there would be a levelling-off of the market in the final quarter of 2014 but perhaps this will now appear early in 2015. Confidence amongst consumers is still rising and our members are reporting a high level of footfall in their showrooms fuelled, no doubt, by the many offers of new models and finance that are still available."
SMTA figures showed that the Ford Focus was by far the most popular model in October, with more than 1,400 registered in Scotland. The Vauxhall Corsa and the Ford Fiesta were the next most popular, with 1,152 new registrations between them.
Mr Robertson added: "There can be no doubt that consumers are continuing to seek economies in the running of cars, and with the range of fuel-efficient models now available they have a tremendous number of options from which to choose."
A top 10 list of the most popular models for new car registrations in October for Scotland was completed by the Volkswagen Polo, Vauxhall Astra, Renault Clio, Volkswagen Golf, Nissan Qashqai, Vauxhall Insignia and the Mini.
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