UK’s new car sales in July declined by around 30pc to 122,000 units from the prior-year period to the country’s lowest level since 1998, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The association attributed this decline to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and supply shortages while downgrading its annual sales forecast to 1.82mn units, according to reports.
July sales last year were boosted by pent-up demand as dealerships opened across the country after the first lockdown. This year, however, consumers remained home owing to government-enforced restrictions.