UK car sales slide

London: New car sales in Britain dropped in October after a brief rise, as consumers slammed the brakes on purchases once more with Brexit hitting the buffers, industry data showed on Tuesday.

Sales slid 6.7 percent last month compared with October 2018, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said in a statement. Car sales had edged up 1.3 percent year-on-year in September, a month when purchases of UK vehicles traditionally gain traction owing to the release of new license plates.

The renewed drop in new car sales in October "reflects continued uncertainty over diesel and clean air zones, stunted economic growth and uncertainty over Brexit", the SMMT said Tuesday. Sales of high-polluting diesel cars have fallen sharply in recent times, also as buyers switch to cleaner electric and hybrid vehicles.