VAUXHALL has taken over from Ford as the number one best selling car manufacturer in Scotland as the number of new car sales rose by 3.7 percent.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders figures show that the number of new vehicle registrations has hit 6,687 in August, 237 more than the same period last year.

The SMMT figures show that 12.67 percent picked a newVauxhall car this year while 11.99 percent chose a Ford.

The SMMT data shows that the Vauxhall Corsa has taken over from the Ford Fiesta as the most popular new car to buy in Scotland, with 380 car sales in August this year, compared 334 Ford Fiestas.

Sandy Burgess, chief executive of the Scottish Motor Trade Association said : "These results maintains Scotland’s year on year growth at 1.12% which, whilst being significantly behind the rest of the UK which recorded an outstanding 7.27% for the month, it is a testimony to our dealers who have been very active in creating strong incentives to entice buyers into their showrooms.

"As the first of the 65 plate cars are hitting the roads across the country there is a renewed vibrancy in dealer promotions to ensure that the Scottish motoring consumer is able to access these remarkable new products and deals.

"I would expect this will create the platform for a strong September performance and month end result.”