New car sales plunged in November for the seventh consecutive month, as the economic crisis continues to put a severe brake on transactions.

Car sales for November fell by 36.8 per cent, compared with the same month in 2007, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Just 100,333 new cars were registered in November, marking the steepest fall since June 1980.

The market for private car sales is particularly weak, down 45.1 per cent in November.

The industry is expected to use the latest figures to step up its argument for help from the Government. Several UK car manufacturers have had to put their workforces on short hours or plan production stoppages to reduce the market oversupply.

Paul Everitt, chief executive of the SMMT, said: "November has been another difficult month for the motor industry and, whilst some consumers may have delayed their purchases to take advantage of the recent VAT reductions, overall demand continues to fall."

"Urgent action is now required to ease access to credit and finance, both to support consumers and meet the cashflow needs of the industry," he said.

November's slowdown in sales was steeper than feared and suggests that just over 2.1 million units will be sold in total this year.

The market decline has happened across all sales types, fuel types and segments. Small cars have weathered the decline better than most.

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