U.K. new car registrations fell 17.5% year-on-year to just over 55,300 in August, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said on Monday.
The fall is the second in as many months. SMMT said conditions will remain "challenging" through the rest of the year.
Diesel-fueled cars once again saw their market share reach a new high, of 52.6% in the month, in part reflecting the drop in petrol-fueled car registrations. The Ford Fiesta was the best selling model in August.
On the back of a better than expected first half, the SMMT forecasts new car registrations to total around 2 million, up 1.2% on 2009.
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