Vehicle exports soar
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EXPORTS of commercial vehicles are hitting record breaking levels—while on the other side of the trade balance imports have slumped.
Figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show that for the first 10 months of this year exports were 72 per cent up at a mammoth £353.4m. This was against an import dip of 1 per cent to £74.6m.
This trend shows no sign of slowing down. Overseas sales in October were 55 per cent ahead of the same month last year at £39.3m. Imports dropped a staggering 31 per cent below October 1974 at 7.4m. Looking at the figures in detail, goods vehicles up to 3 tons gvw were worth 00.4m for the 10-month period, a rise of 60 per cent. Other commercials faired even better with an increase of 76 per cent to 063m.
Despite these figures, Volvo remained the biggest selling single make of heavy artic in the UK in October, with around 22 per cent of the market, and was also top of the January-October sales period. Seddon Atkinson was in second place.
Among eight-wheeled rigids, Foden had nearly 39 per cent of the market in October (with ERF second), while Scammell took second place to Foden from January to October.