New Launches
Show Report: CV Show 2012
What a cracking event the 2012 Commercial Vehicle Show turned out to be, thanks in no small part to Ford… Read More
Mitsubishi L200 4x4 Long-Term Test 1
We has just taken delivery of a Mitsubishi L200 4x4 Club Cab for long-term appraisal… Read More
Ford Transit ECOnetic Brief Test
We’ve been putting a SWB 100hp 2.2TDi Euro 5 Transit 280 ECOnetic through its paces… Read More
Renault Kangoo ZE 2011 European Launch
Renault is at the forefront of manufacturers offering a mass produced factory-built electric van… Read More
Fuso Canter 2011 European Launch
Fuso has completely revamped its range of light and heavy truck Canter chassis and chassis crew cabs… Read More
Iveco Daily 2011 European Launch
Iveco has introduced new, latest generation diesels to its Daily range, along with detail changes inside and out… Read More
Ford Transit 2011 European Launch
Ford takes the iconic Transit to the next stage with an all-new range of 2.2-litre Euro 5 diesels… Read More
Volkswagen Crafter 2011 UK Launch
VW’s large panel van has undergone a serious makeover with changes to the front-end styling and the cab interior, as well as new Euro 5 diesels… Read More
Ford Transit Connect Electric Brief Test
We spent a day with the battery-powered Connect to get a better idea of what it’s like to live with in its natural, urban environment. Read More
Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL Brief Test
Currently undergoing trials with selected fleet customers in the UK, we managed to get behind the wheel of a battery-powered Vito E-CELL… Read More
Volkswagen Crafter 2011 European Launch
Volkswagen’s Crafter has undergone a midlife makeover and gets a new front-end along with new Euro 5 engines… Read More
Van registrations continue to hold up well in April
Sales of light commercials up to 3.5t in April totalled 18,081 according to the official Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders figures. This represents a year-on-year increase of 21 per cent compared to 2010. The comparative year-to-date figures are even more impressive, currently running at 29 per cent with a total of 90,422.Ford, as always, was the big seller taking a 26 per cent market share followed by a virtually level-pegging Vauxhall and Volkswagen in second and third place respectively with 14 per cent of the registrations. Peugeot and Renault had a strong month while Citroën and Mercedes-Benz slipped down slightly.
LCVs between 3.5t and 6.0t, however, had a bad April compared to last year with sales of 499; a drop of 61 which represents 11 per cent in the wrong direction. The year-to-date figures show a decrease of 18 per cent currently for this struggling sector.
Commenting on the April registrations SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said: “Demonstrating an ongoing resurgence of confidence in the commercial vehicle market, April recorded the 15th successive monthly rise for new van registrations, up by 21 per cent in the month. Truck figures saw even healthier growth, up steeply by 40 per cent, the seventh successive monthly rise. “Year to date figures for almost every sector were up significantly on 2010, a trend that is likely to continue throughout the year.”
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Latest Features
Show Preview: CV Show 2012
This year's Commercial Vehicle Show is returning to the NEC Birmingham on 24 – 26 April following a very successful 2011 event… Read More
Vans of the Year Awards 2012
Each year we sit down and decide which, in our opinion, are best light commercials around in each market segment… Read More
Manheim: Used Van Market 2011
Manheim Remarketing reports on used van values and trends in 2011… Read More
Iveco: State of the Nation 2012
The Italian van and truck manufacturer takes a look back at the 2011 UK van market… Read More
Bridgestone Eco-Rally 2011
Environmentally-friendly transport can be fun, as we discovered courtesy of a Transit Connect Electric… Read More
Euro 5 Switchover
There’s a flurry of activity in the 3.5 tonne panel van market and the reason is the impending October deadline for new vans to meet Euro 5 emissions levels… Read More
ESP on Vans Explained
ESP, or Electronic Stability Programme to give it its full title, is either standard or available as an option on all light commercials. But what is it exactly? Read More