THE April new car market figures just released reflect the findings of a snap-shot survey carried out on franchised car dealers over the past few days. April registration figures are down 9.1 per cent to 163,216 units.

Sue Robinson, director of the Retail Motor Industry Federation's National Franchised Dealers Association, said: "Speaking to a number of car dealers over the past few days, they cited increased fuel costs, rising council tax bills and hikes in utility bills as the main reasons behind the slow-down in the new car market.

"Consumers are monitoring and assessing their budgets very carefully. They are also looking for the best deals on offer in car showrooms, and in particular, value for money."