Hyundai beat Ford as car sales rise

Hyundai sold more retail cars than Ford for the first time ever in August, it was revealed today.

The news comes as new car registrations rose 6 per cent year-on-year in August to 67,006.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said the success is due to the scrappage scheme and a higher demand for small petrol cars.

This is the second month in a row car sales have seen an increase, following a 2.4 per cent rise in July.

Next month should see a higher increase - the SMMT says September typically accounts for an average 17 per cent of all new car registrations in a year. This is due to the number plate change.

What are 59 plates? The number plate system explained

It's the first time Hyundai has sold more retail cars than Ford, with registrations in August at 3,531 and 3,374 respectively.

These figures exclude fleet sales, of which Ford remained the strongest with a total 10,754 registrations. Hyundai were in fifth place with 3,737.

Hyundai also sold twice as many vehicles under the government's scrappage scheme than Ford in August, with 2,924. Ford was in fourth place after Fiat and Toyota with 1,389 vehicles registered under scrappage.

The total stands at 102,071 cars registered under the scrappage scheme since it began in May. This figure excludes new car orders, which currently equate to 185,273.

And for the first time in 2009 the Ford Fiesta was not the best-selling car for a month - Ford's Focus hatchback took top spot with 4,366 registrations. The Fiesta was in second place with 2,968.

Ford and Hyundai are two car makers which have seen previous success in the scrappage scheme. Some car makers and organisations are calling for an extension of the scheme.

Auto Trader calls for scrappage extension

CO2 emissions from new car sales were also at their lowest-ever in August with an average 145g/km.

SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said: "The scrappage scheme is clearly delivering environmental and safety benefits, in addition to stimulating demand for retailers.

“New car registrations up for the second successive month is welcome news for the UK motor industry. But with consumer and business confidence still fragile, there remain significant risks ahead."

Best-selling cars of August 2009

View a video review of the Ford Focus from New Car Net: