Why September’s pre-regs are not such a bad thing

All the signs are that we are heading for another bumper September. But how many of the sales we’ll see reported will be to ‘real’ customers?  And how many stories will we see pouring cold water on the registration figures because they don’t all represent ‘genuine’ sales?  The fact is that a proportion – and nobody can really put a total figure on it – of September’s new car sales figures will be pre-registered to qualify for volume bonuses. It is also a fact that a lot of them will be keenly priced PCP deals for private retail customers. And we can expect some fairly buoyant business registration activity too.

That’s the real world of new car business. It’s a business model that works, by delivering what people want through multiple channels and finance methods. It is responsive to the needs of its customers and pre-registration is no small part of the recipe for the UK car market’s success. People can argue all they like that the sales figure totals are misleading, but the bottom line is that every car registered next month will be sold to someone in the end.

Let’s imagine that one in three of those cars are first registered to the dealer. I would invite those who will suggest this is a negative aspect of the market to explain how much better the world would be if those cars were not registered at all, albeit self-registration always comes at a price.

I know what I’d rather see;  good dealers who are able to offer something to suit every type of car buyer – whether they can afford to buy new or not – busy manufacturer assembly lines,  a burgeoning ancillary trade. And news headlines celebrating the achievements of an industry that keeps on growing by having something to offer to everyone.

Ian Rendle, CEO, CAP Automotive