Much has been written about the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown and it is fair to say that, in general, these effects are perceived as negative. However, not everyone are wringing their hands and moaning about how awful it all is – auction houses have been reporting a strong market in used vans during the month of September, with demand exceeding supply, thus pushing up used van values past last year’s levels.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has announced the first growth month for the UK’s light commercial vehicle (LCV) market since January. There was a 7.1 per cent increase in registrations in July, with 27,701 new LCVs joined Britain’s roads.
Light commercial vehicles (LCVs) including vans are an often overlooked, but important, component of the European light vehicle market, particularly in the current coronavirus crisis, says GlobalData. Calum MacRae, automotive analyst at the company, says: “As online delivery becomes more important to our everyday lives and as we shelter indoors from the coronavirus, the importance of the LCV typified by light vans such as the Ford Transit is self-evident.”
Dismal new car registration figures in April conceal a milestone for the UK motoring public – for the first time ever, an all-electric model topped the passenger vehicle sales charts. But when it comes to overall new registrations, top of the heap during the month was a van.
3,387 new light commercial vehicles were registered in the UK in April, 21,217 fewer than in the same month last year. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) figures show that the market declined -86.2 per cent in the month as nearly all registrations stopped due to coronavirus lockdowns.
Four-in-10 of all new vans on sale do not come with an alarm as standard, according to an exclusive investigation by What Car? Vans. The findings follow research highlighting how more than 43,000 vans have been stolen since 2016, with a further 117,000 broken into, costing drivers and businesses more than £61.9 million in lost tools and other items.
UK new light commercial vehicle (LCV) registrations returned to growth in December, following three months of decline, according to the latest figures released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The market grew +7.8 per cent in December as the impact of regulatory changes eased and attractive offers on new models helped stimulate orders with only pickups experiencing a fall in demand.
Findings of the latest NAMA market attitude survey show that the general feeling continues to be that the Euro 6 van market will remain strong. Nearly half of respondents (46 per cent) expect Euro 6 van values to increase and the same percentage believe they will stay stable. By contrast, over half of respondents expect values to decline in the pre euro 6 van market. “NAMA members expect the Euro 6 van market to stay strong as Government clean air policies encourage businesses to purchase these vehicles” said Louise Wallis, head of the National Association of Motor Auctions (NAMA).
The Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership and Cenex have published a new Low Emission Van Guide to coincide with the CV Show in Birmingham and the revised licensing for drivers of alternatively fuelled vans (announced recently by the DfT.) The number of vans licensed to operate in the UK has grown by a quarter in ten […]
Commercial vehicle manufacturing in the UK declined rapidly as a result of planned shutdowns in April. Just 2,162 units were produced, -70.9 per cent down on the previous month. The year to date figure remains positive, with volumes up 10.3 per cent as a result of domestic demand, though exports are still the majority, making up nearly 60 per cent of production in the first four months.
This year to date, 36,620 new LCVs have been registered, representing a rise of 5.8 per cent on the first two months of 2018.
The recently announced partnership between Ford and Volkswagen in the commercial vans and medium pickup trucks arena served to highlight the strong global demand that both companies foresee in these two segments. The partnership was made public on the sidelines of the just concluded North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) 2019, in Detroit. It marks the first step in a partnership that seeks to leverage the complementary strengths of both automotive giants in a bid to boost their competitiveness.
The new light commercial vehicle (LCV) market dropped -8.8 per cent in December, capping off a mixed year for the sector, which saw a moderate decline of -1.3 per cent in 2018, according to the latest figures from the SMMT.
A new £23 million scrappage scheme to help take the most polluting vans off London roads has been launched to prepare for the ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ). The scheme, announced by the Mayor of London, will initially help London’s micro-businesses – defined as those with fewer than 10 employees – to switch to the cleanest vehicles, including electric.
SMMT figures show that he new light commercial vehicle (LCV) market grew 9.6 per cent in November, as more than 29,000 vans and pick-ups joined UK roads. This increase represents 2,549 more pick-ups and vans registered in the month compared to November 2017.
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