Market leader Ford is first and second in UK car sales in August

Ford have topped the charts for UK car and CV sales in August ahead of Septembers registration-plate-change sales month, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) latest figures.

The Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus and Ford Transit topped the UK total vehicle sales table, with the Ford Fiesta on its own outselling the car ranges of all but four rival makers.

August's results continues the Ford Fiesta's success as the UK top seller for seven years straight, with 4,753 registrations secured last month, 2,297 sales and 2.9 percentage points of share ahead of its nearest non-Ford rival.

Andy Barratt, Ford of Britain chairman and managing director, said: "In a UK market that has recorded 42 consecutive months of growth, Ford is carrying strong sales momentum into September, which, in combination with the March registration plate change month, accounts for a third of UK annual sales.

"We are consolidating and growing our long-standing UK market leadership through continue investment in exciting products and industry-leading technologies.

"The sales success of our fresh and extended CV range underlines this, while car sales are outpacing rivals thanks to the flow of new models.

The official figures released by the SMMT today show that total car sales in August were up 9.6 per cent to 79,060 units, compared with August 2014. For the year to date (end August) total car sales were 1,634,369 up 6.7 per cent, compared with the same period in 2014.

UK commercial vehicle sales in August were up 14.9 per cent at 17,724 compared with August 2014.