Paul Everitt, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders which compiled the figures, conceded: "While consumer confidence is improving, the UK motor industry is still facing a difficult climate."
He said interest in the scrappage scheme is "encouraging" but added: "It will take time to feed into registration figures." The data reveal luxury brands and Chelsea tractors suffering the most.
Sales of Bentleys are down 64% this year, Daimler is off 61%, Lexus 42% weaker, Aston Martin 40% lower, and BMW down 32%. Sales of Chrysler Jeeps have crashed 64%.
The stars of last year's sales trend toward smaller cars are also hurting: Mini is down 32% and Smart car sales have fallen 8%.
Among the giant volume carmakers Ford, with its market-leading Fiesta and Focus brands, is down 17% while sales of UK-based Vauxhall, with its rival Corsa and Astra models, are down 29%.
Research from the Retail Motor Industry Federation reveals dealers will not be making a fortune from the scrappage scheme.
The figures show that around half the orders are for cars cheaper than £8000 and a further quarter in the £8000-£10,000 range.
Two thirds of the vehicles ordered have engine sizes smaller than 1.3 litres.
More than three-fifths of people taking advantage of the scrappage incentive are aged between 45 and 60.
Philip Shaw, UK economist at Investec, said the Bank could extend the quantitative easing target again next month.
