April van sales up 43% on 2012

Demand for vans continued to grow throughout April and pick-ups also did well

THE tough economic conditions haven’t daunted SMEs and trades people when it comes to new vehicles.

You continued to buy vans through April, maintaining the upward sales trend the new sub-3.5 tonne LCV market has enjoyed since the start of the year.

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Figures from the SMMT show van registrations increased by 43% compared with April 2012 bringing the monthly total to 20,751 units. Pick-ups also did well, with 2,099 sales – an increase of 73.6% on April 2012.

But demand for larger commercials over 3.5 tonnes continued to decline with a 12.1% decrease on April 2012, to 3,619 units and an overall decline of 15.5% during the first four months of 2013.

SMMT commercial vehicle manager Nigel Base told Business Vans: “The CV market saw further growth in April, up almost 40%, but it’s a mixed picture across the different vehicle types.

“A lift in business van demand is contributing to growth across the overall market, but truck registrations continue to decline. This could be symptomatic of operators holding-off on buying vehicles in anticipation of new Euro 6 legislation coming into play later this year as well as wider economic challenges impacting the road transport sector.”

UK van and truck registrations

 Year to date