- Light commercial vehicle registrations fall -18.8% in April, following period of record demand.
- Declines across all van segments, but pickup demand continues upward trend, rising 4.5% in April and 17.6% YTD.
- Overall year-to-date registrations down -4.9%, but demand for vans remains at a high level.
SEE LCV REGISTRATIONS BY BRAND
Light commercial vehicle registrations declined in April, falling -18.8% to 22,625 units, according to figures released by SMMT. The performance follows a period of rapidly growing levels of demand, with April 2016 the highest performance on record.
The small and large van segments both experienced a decline in April, with demand for vans under 2.0 tonnes down -37.5%, while vans weighing 2.5-3.5 tonnes fell -23.1%. The medium sized van market, however, remained broadly stable, dipping just -0.2%, while pickups continued to increase in popularity, with demand growing 4.5% last month.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said,
April is traditionally a small month for new LCV registrations following the plate-change in March and, coming on the back of double-digit growth that resulted in a record April in 2016, this month’s decline comes as no surprise. Overall, the market remains robust, however, and so long as business confidence among operators can be maintained, we expect to see the market remain at what is a historically high level over the course of the year.
Download the April 2017 LCV registrations press release and data table.
