Commenting on the latest figures from the SMMT which showed new car registrations continued their post-pandemic recovery, Andrew Burn, Managing Director and Head of Automotive at Interpath, said:
“While the growth in new car registrations at first glance provides a chink of much-needed sunlight across the sector, it’s hard to escape the fact that the cloudy skies look set to remain for the foreseeable future as the ongoing semiconductor shortage dampens any prospect of a much stronger bounce back.
“Indeed, the number of cars registered during the second quarter of 2021 fell 9,000 units short of expectations. With auto manufacturers pinning their hopes on consumer spending rising in tandem with the unlocking of COVID restrictions and the success of the vaccination roll-out, it would be more than unfortunate if this squeeze on supply ended up suppressing demand, just when the industry needs it most.”
