New light commercial vehicle registrations fell by 4.5 per cent in October compared to last year, according to latest figures released today.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reported that October showed a decline after the record levels of September, but that the total registrations in the year to date are still at a record level.
The October slowdown was largely down to heavy vans (2.5-3.5 tonnes), which is the largest sector of the market and reported a 7.1 per cent decline.
Small vans (under 2.0 tonnes) continued with their subdued 2016 performance, down 17.4 per cent on the same month last year, while mid-size vans (2.0-2.5 tonnes) recorded a 19.6 per cent increase.
The pick-up market continues to be buoyant, with October results 17.8 per cent up on last year and year-to-date registrations up 13.5 per cent compared to the first ten months of 2015.
In terms of individual manufacturers, the top three positions are unchanged from September, with Ford leading the way comfortably from Volkswagen and Peugeot. A strong month from Mercedes-Benz and Renault saw them leapfrog Vauxhall for fourth and fifth. Citroen remained seventh, Fiat jumped from tenth to eighth, Nissan slipped back to ninth and Toyota claimed tenth spot at the expense of Mitsubishi.
Year to date, nothing has changed since last month apart from Mercedes-Benz climbing over Citroen for fifth.
