MG INCREASE SALES IN 2020

New-car registrations hit a 30-year low in 2020, but MG have managed to buck the trend.

New-car registrations may have been hit by the coronavirus pandemic - to the tune of a 29.4 per cent slump, with 680,076 fewer vehicles finding homes last year compared to 2019 - but two manufacturers managed to increase their sales in 2020.

MG saw 18,415 new cars registered in the UK last year, up from 13,075 in 2019 - a 40.84 per cent increase, according to figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

With dealerships closed for much of the year due to lockdowns and low consumer confidence, every other major car maker that sells in the UK saw registrations fall in 2020, some by significant amounts. Subaru was hit by a 68.27 per cent decline, shifting just 951 cars, down from 2,997 models in 2019.

Citroen, meanwhile, experienced a 44.77 per cent slump, with Mazda, Suzuki, Mitsubishi and Hyundai all experiencing similar declines. Even Ford - maker of the Fiesta, Britain’s best-selling car - wasn’t immune, experiencing a 35.3 per cent drop in sales overall. And while Bentley enjoyed its best-ever year globally in 2020, selling 11,206 cars for a two per cent rise on 2019, in the UK the luxury car maker’s figures were down 16.18 per cent, with 1,337 registrations.

MG’s sales increase in the face of the pandemic can be explained both by a rapidly growing model range, and the success its affordable EVs have enjoyed. MG EVs have been well-placed to take advantage of market trends that saw registrations of electric cars rise 185.9 per cent in 2020.

Credit Auto Express

8 Jan 2021