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Increase in demand for light commercial vehicles in February

NFDA 05/03/2019

“It was positive to see that demand in the Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) market was up 1.8% in February, in what is considered to be a typically low volume month due to the upcoming plate change in March”, 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.

Year-to-date, 36,620 new LCVs have been registered, representing a rise of 5.8% on the first two months of 2018.

Larger light commercials between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes continued to maintain an upward trend and grew by 4.2% in February. A total of 9,348 vehicles were registered. Car-derived vans weighing 2.0 tonnes also saw an increase, up 4.6%. Whilst demand for pick-ups and medium-sized vans experienced declines in registrations, down -2.4% and -4.5% respectively.

Manufacturer wise, Ford led the market at 38.3% market share with its wide range of models, followed by Volkswagen at 11.9% of the market share.

Robinson continues, “The light commercial market is showing encouraging signs of stability, especially considering the challenges being faced by the industry, and it seems set to continue to perform at these levels”.
 

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About the RMI

The Retail Motor Industry represents the interests of operators in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man providing sales and services to motorists and businesses. The RMI has a formal association with the independent Scottish Motor Trade Association which represents the retail motor industry in Scotland.