The market for heavy commercial vehicles reached 2,142 in July – up eight per cent last year, according to registration figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
The market for vans and light trucks started improving earlier this year, but the heavy truck sector (over 6 tonnes gross) has been the most sluggish in returning to growth – and for the year to date is still down 17 per cent on last year.
The light truck market (3.5-6 tonnes) was up 12.6 per cent in July and 4.5 per cent for the year to date. The van market in July was up 25 per cent on last year while the year to date figure was 17 per cent up.
Even so SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said: “Fragile consumer and business confidence make the outlook for the next 18 months challenging.”
