BOSSES at the Cowley Mini plant have hailed a rise in UK sales as “remarkable".

Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show 3,120 cars were sold in the UK during October — a rise of more than 65 per cent on the same month last year.

Mini spokesman Graham Biggs said: “It is a remarkable figure, but there are a few factors involved.

“October last year was when the credit crunch really started to bite and since then we have introduced two new models, the Mini First and the Convertible which are selling well.

“We are seeing good demand for Mini around the world and the plant is working flat-out to satisfy demand. But we are hopeful rather than confident of selling as many cars as last year.”

A total of 315 Minis were sold as a result of the Government’s scrappage scheme, which offers buyers up to £2,000 off the price of a new car provided they trade in a vehicle more than 10 years old.

The SMMT statistics showed 32,910 cars have been sold in the UK this year, compared to 36,696 over same 10 months in 2008, a drop of 10.3 per cent.

Sales of new cars were up 31.6 per cent to 168,942 units with the SMMT pointing to the scrappage scheme as the reason for a fourth consecutive month of growth.

SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said: “We have seen additional demand created by the extension of the scheme and customers wanting to avoid the VAT increase planned for January.

“Encouragingly, there has also been an increase in demand in the fleet and business sectors, which will be critical in sustaining recovery next year.”