“It was positive to see that demand in the Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) market was up 8.6% in January, following on from a turbulent 2018 market which was driven by political and economic issuesâ€, said Sue Robinson, Director of the National Franchised Dealers Association which represents commercial vehicle and franchised car retailers across the UK, commenting on the SMMT’s light commercial vehicle registration figures.
There was a significant growth of 31.7% in the small van sector. These LCV’s which are under 2 tonnes are typically used as service vehicles for transporting tools. A total of 1,952 units were registered which was encouraging to see as demand was weak in 2018.
Pick-up trucks also saw a growth of 13.4%. These vehicles are favoured by self-employed and sell well in the dual-purpose double-cab versions.
Larger light commercials between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes continued to maintain an upward trend and grew by 7.1% in January. A total of 13,236 vehicles were registered.
Manufacturer wise, Ford led the market at 31.7% market share with its wide range of models, followed by Volkswagen at 11.7% of the market share. However, when you combine registrations from the PSA Group (Peugeot, Citroen and Vauxhall), sales total 5,647 units for January, which would easily put them in second position by volume.
Robinson continues, “Demand for vans stems for business needs, and so current issues surrounding diesel and product availability do not pose as many issues as they do in the new car market.
“With many new models due to enter the market this year, coupled with attractive finance offers and better specification vehicles, dealers are optimistic that the LCV market will continue to thrive in 2019.â€
