Importers near 40%
Page 7
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
The first set of figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders shows that overall commercial vehicle sales last month reached 18,189, 4.2 per cent down on the 18,988 in January 1984.
But sales over 3.5 tonnes picked up again, ending up 14.4 per cent ahead of January 1984 at 4,663. Sales of light commercials are 4.2 per cent down on January 1984. Over 3.5 tonnes, Ford just held on to its market leadership with 15.9 per cent (1984: 13.4 per cent), followed by Leyland with 151 per cent (1984: 13.6 per cent), Bedford with 12.7 per cent (1984: 13.2 per cent), and Mercedes-Benz with 10.9 per cent (1984: 10.7 per cent).
Ford took 37.9 per cent of the over-one ton van market with its Transit and P100 (1984: 40.3 per cent). Freight Rover was second with 13.8 per cent (1984: 10.8 per cent), the Bedford with 10.6 per cent (1984: 11.1 per cent), Renault with 8.3 per cent (1984: five per cent), and Volkswagen with 7.4 per cent (1984: 8.8 per cent).
For Renault, the year has started well for its ever more successful Trafic and Master vans, taking them into fourth place in the market in which they climbed from seventh to fifth place in the course of last year.