Vauxhall took the lion’s share of the UK’s passenger car market last month, with a total of 19,058 registrations – a mere 5.93 per cent down from the same period in 2007, despite the UK’s sharp economic decline.

According to official figures produced by the SMMT today, UK car registrations were down by 21.22 per cent, year-on-year in December, so Vauxhall’s marginal drop illustrated the strength of its current product ranges and competitive pricing strategies.

Not even Vauxhall’s new, European Car of the Year-winning Insignia could be held responsible for the Luton company’s strong performance: with dealers launching the car in January, just 307 were registered before the New Year.

Bolstering these figures was the news that Vauxhall also led the way in Scotland, registering more cars during the whole of 2008 than any other manufacturer, with the Corsa coming in as the best-selling model of the year.

Andy Gilson, Vauxhall’s Marketing Director, was encouraged by the SMMT’s figures: “We’re delighted to be at the top of the UK’s registration league once again, and also buoyed by the Corsa’s strong performance in Scotland, as well as the rest of the UK. We now look forward to welcoming customers into our dealerships to test the new, award-winning Insignia.”

During December, Vauxhall had a total of four models in the UK’s top ten registration chart: the Corsa, Astra, Vectra and Zafira.