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 slump in January
Sales of light commercials up to 3.5 tonne in January dropped 16.4 per cent month-on-month compared to 2011, according to official figures released by the Society of Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT). A total of 14,338 vans were sold, well short of last year’s 17,154.Ford remained top of the leader board on 3,709, representing a 25.9 per cent market share, but this is a 16.3 per cent drop compared with the same month last year. Vauxhall held on to the second slot with sales of 1,766 (a fall of 29.3 per cent) while Volkswagen came in third on 1,632, 19.9 per cent down on 2011’s total.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom in the commercial vehicle market, however, with LCVs between 3.5t and 7.5t showing a month-on-month rise of 19.3 per cent, although the total of 395 is small potatoes in the overall scheme of things.Trucks continue to show a healthy sales recovery, up 49.4 per cent on the same month last year with 3,191 units shifted.
Commenting on January’s figures, the SMMT remains bullish: “The commercial vehicle market got off to a mixed start in January with very strong truck registrations outweighed by a fall in the van market,” said chief executive Paul Everitt. “Over the course of 2012 SMMT expects the CV market to be steady, ending the year marginally up on 2011. Government support for business will be key to maintaining market stability. If confidence can be maintained through the year, we should see growth in 2013.”
