Truck and van sales resurgent in 2011
15 March 2011
Registrations for trucks of 6-tonnes and above have continued to climb through February, with the SMMT reporting year-to-date numbers up by 71.4% to 3,916.
All the manufacturers have enjoyed growth, but Volvo Trucks, which has registered 594 units, up by 256% compared to last year, and MAN, up by 158% to 519 units, stand out.
Figures for February 2011 have increased by 64.2% to 1,780, compared to 2010, which confirms that the market has continued to enjoy recovery since November 2010.
Year-to-date figures for vans of up to 3.5-tonnes have risen by 37.7%, with Ford continuing to lead the way, registering 7,826 vans in the first two months of the year, up by 56% on 2010, and increasing its market share by 3.3%, to 27.7%.
Vauxhall follows with 4,435 registrations this year, up by 30%, with Volkswagen in third place with 3,034 units, up by 69.1% on the first two months of 2010.
February saw registrations rise by 23.8% to 11,113, compared with the same month in 2010.
SMMT's chief executive Paul Everitt says the CV sector is leading the recovery, with February truck registrations and vans increasing in number.
"We are now seeing a sustainable improvement in new vehicle demand and the Budget later this month (23 March) will be critical in strengthening consumer and business confidence," he adds.
Kevin Swallow - Road Transport