The British new LCV market reversed its slide in February, bringing some brighter news to an industry that has seen declines in both cars and LCVs over the last year.
February’s results were more than 6% better than the same month last year, representing about 844 more vehicles registered.
Mid-size vans (2.0-2.5 tonnes) led the way, with a 20% improvement on last February. Large vans (2.5-3.5 tonnes) saw a 2.5% boost, although being the largest sector of the LCV market, this accounted for a decent chunk of the overall improvement.
The pick-up market continues to grow and grow, and February saw another good result as the sector grew 14% over the same month last year.
Smaller vans (less than 2.0 tonnes) continue to be left behind as operators shift towards larger vehicles, although registrations were only 24 units off last February’s figure.
February is always a quiet month for the industry, as buyers typically await new number plates in March, so it may be that this is a short-lived spike in a continuing decline. Nevertheless, it is certainly a rare piece of good news for the industry.
No end in sight to Ford dominance
To absolutely no-one’s surprise, the Ford badge appears all over the best-sellers’ list once again. The Ford Transit Custom edged its big brother for the top spot, although it was a close-run thing.
Run-out deals helped the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter into third place, with the all-new model set to reach UKÂ roads in June.
Ford also leads the pick-up sector, with the Ranger in eighth place (and the only pick-up truck) on the Top Ten list.
