Analysis of the new car market over the past 50 years indicates that there was an increase in registrations in all but two of the 13 years in which a General Election was called. In six of these years, the growth in sales set a new record.
The previous years suggest that a sales boost could be a distinct possibility in 2005.
| General Election year (year-on-year) | Winning political party | Registrations | ||
| 1955 | Conservative | +30% | ||
| 1959 | Conservative | +16% | ||
| 1964 | Labour | +18% | ||
| 1966 | Labour | -5% | ||
| 1970 | Conservative | +11% | ||
| 1974 | Labour | -24% | ||
| 1979 | Conservative | +8% | ||
| 1983 | Conservative | +15% | ||
| 1987 | Conservative | +7% | ||
| 1992 | Conservative | +1% | ||
| 1997 | Labour | +7% | ||
| 2001 | Labour | +10% | ||
Glass's says that if the pattern of UK new car sales growth during election years is repeated in 2005, it would be less of a negative result than that predicted by most industry analysts, who forecast a modest fall in registrations compared to last year.
"Following the 2003 new car sales peak we saw a slight decline during 2004," says Alan Cole, editorial consultant for Glass's Market Intelligence Service.
"Most industry analysts predict a further decline for 2005 but, if history is anything to go by, this year's General Election could possibly make some of the industry's more negative forecasts look slightly pessimistic."
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