On 4 Sep, 17:51, "Graculus"
hotmail.co.uk>
wrote:>> Very welcome news indeed. Does this mean we have at last reached and
>> passed 'peak car use' and can expect a continuing decline from now on?
>> With fewer cars on our roads we can expect fewer road deaths, less
>> congestion, less environmental harm, and less wastage of non-
>> renewables, which has got to be a good thing surely?
>
>> "New UK car registrations last month hit the lowest level for any
>> August since 1966, industry figures show.
>
>> The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said that new
>> car registrations were down 18.6%% to 63,225 compared with the same
>> month in 2007.
>
>> It said that declining consumer confidence was hitting sales across
>> all major European markets..."
>
>> More:
>
>
>> Definitely transport related, for those motorists who seek to enforce
>> imaginary Usenet protocols while dominating this transport newsgroup.
>
> Don't think anyone would deny it relates to transport, or more specifically
> cars, with which you seem to have some sort of fixation. I thnk it's envy at
> those of us who choose to drive them.
>
> Anyway, that aside, your conclusions are, as ever, wild, speculative and
> wrong. The number of new cars sold is not a good measure. You should look at
> the number of cars registered, if such figures are available. There may be a
> fall during a downturn, as some just can't afford to run a car (or choose to
> save money on such niceties as insurance and tax and having their cars
> appear in the system). Sure as night follows day, it will go up again when
> the economy picks up.
This is what it says in the Times today:
"Car sales fell to their lowest level for more than 40 years last
month in the most dramatic sign yet that the country is heading into a
recession.
Britain’s biggest industry gave warning of deeper cuts in production
to come as consumers, worried about the high cost of fuel and the
economic downturn, shy away from big purchases and abandon the
showrooms.
Traders reported just 63,225 new cars sold, the worst August figures
since 1966, sending a chill through the automotive industry from
manufacturers to the secondhand market.
Premium brands, many of which are made in Britain, were among the
hardest hit, with Aston Martin suffering a 67 per cent drop to just 19
cars sold. Land Rover saw a 58 per cent fall to 422 cars and Jaguar a
41 per cent slump to 422 cars..."
It might not go up again to the same level when the economy picks up
as some will have cured their car dependency, and suffered not-to-be-
repeated withdrawals in the meantime, and altered their lifestyles
accordingly.
