Against a backdrop of falling new car sales in Britain, and a UK market 28.5 pct down on 2008 year-to-date Alfa Romeo (top, Alfa MiTo) is bucking the trend by posting buoyant sales results in the past two consecutive months although sister brand Fiat (bottom, Fiat Qubo) has suffered.

Against a backdrop of falling new car sales in Britain, and a UK market 28.5 percent down on 2008 year-to-date, Italian sporting car manufacturer, Alfa Romeo, is bucking the trend by posting buoyant sales results in the past two consecutive months although sister brand Fiat has suffered.

According to March and April’s new registration statistics from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Alfa Romeo has recorded a positive percentage change in its new car sales, with industry-leading results in each month, and a massive 76.8 pct increase in April – 55 pct higher than any other manufacturer for the month. This equated to 686 cars registered in April compared to 388 during the same month a year ago and raised its share of the market from 0.22 to 0.51 pct year-on-year.

The Italian sporting marque is also one of only two manufacturers (the other is Jaguar) to be credited with increased year-to-date sales figures compared to 2008; Alfa Romeo is up 1.50 pct. For the first four months of 2009 the UK market has seen 2,294 Alfa Romeos registered compared to 2,260 in the same period last year. This has raised its market share for year-to-date from 0.26 to 0.37 pct.

Alfa Romeo in 2009 has been boosted in the UK by the introduction of the sporty, compact Alfa MiTo which has extended the manufacturer’s appeal into a new market segment. The technologically advanced and fun-to-drive addition to the range has been an instant hit with young and image conscious motorists keen to take advantage of Alfa Romeo’s competitive pricing and low insurance ratings.

However it was a very different story for the Fiat brand which was one of the biggest losers in the UK last month, and it must hope that the introduction of a scrapping scheme for older cars April 18 will give it the bounce it has seen in Germany, Italy and France. The recent Budget in the UK saw the announcement of a 'scrappage' incentive scheme, with a £2,000 incentive (half from government and half from industry) to scrap a car registered on or before 31 August 1999 when buying a new vehicle. The scheme is not due to start until 18 May, which could cause some hold-off in demand until then. 2,548 Fiats were registered in the UK during April compared to 4,966 during the same month last year, putting it down 48.69 pct year-on-year and shrinking its market share from 2.83 to 1.91 pct year-on-year. For the year-to-date Fiat has seen 14,009 registrations in the UK compared to 20,873 during the opening four months a year ago, reducing its market share from 2.43 to 2.28 pct year-on-year.

Total UK market registrations in April were down 24.0 pct or 42,193 units on the April 2008 market and 47,529 units short of the ten year average for the month, of 185,856 units. It was the lowest April market since 1991, although it was 13 pct above the forecast of 118,000 units. Registrations over the first four months of 2009 declined by 28.5 pct or 245,184 units. The rolling annual total has fallen to just 1.887 million units. April saw demand for all sales types fall, although the decline within the fleet market was slightly less subdued at 21.8 pct. Diesel penetration slipped for the second time this year, although remains higher, at 44.2 pct compared with 42.7 pct in 2008, over the first four months of the year. Only the mini segment rose in the month, up 54.3 pct.