Truck registrations are 40 per cent up on last year, while van registrations are 17 per cent higher, according to figures for the first seven months from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
The introduction of the Euro 6 emissions legislation hit truck sales badly last year, so the improvement is not surprising. The strongest performing sector is three axle artics where registrations are up 60 per cent to 9,602 units. Rigids over 16 tonnes also performed strongly rising 56 per cent to 7,790 units.
DAF was market leader of the market for trucks over six tonnes in the first seven months with a 27.4 per cent share. It was followed by Scania with 16.7 per cent and Mercedes with 16 per cent. MAN, Iveco and Renault all lost share.
The strongest growth in the vans market has come in the 2.5 tonne to 3.5 tonne sector which is up 21 per cent to 122,431 units for the year to date.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “Demand is still at a very high level, with year-to-date van registrations up 17 per cent as confident businesses continue to invest in their fleets and capitalise on the on-going trend for home deliveries.
“Registrations of trucks, meanwhile, saw another robust month in line with the sector’s performance in the year so far. Once again, the principal gains were made by the heavier vehicles in each market segment.”
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