Big E booster for truck sales
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• Latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show that truck sales last month reached all-time record levels.
The E-registration prefix appeared on a total of 40,524 commercial vehicles last month, 15.47% more than the figure for August 1986.
Sales of trucks above 3.5 tonnes so far this year are up 7.4%, and all manufacturers, with the exception of Bedford, have experienced sales growth in Britain.
Iveco Ford returned to the top of the sales league last month with 1,788 registrations. This figure includes 49 trucks listed under Ford, and 41 trucks listed under Iveco. The total figure is more than 100% up on the corresponding month last year, and contributed to a figure of 9,000 registrations by Iveco Ford in the first eight months of this year (up 36.21% on the same period last year).
Iveco Ford's performance in August gave it a 23% share of the market for trucks above 3.5 tonnes, so far this year, Leyland Daf has sold 8,908 trucks so far this year, to give it 22.8% of the market. Ley land Daf sales are up more than five per cent this year, and last month they were 10.7% ahead of the figure for August last year There have been allegations that Iveco Ford boosted its market share last month by offering exceptional discounts on Cargos. In July this year the company sold 469 trucks, and last month it sold 1,698 trucks. Iveco Ford denies that it has rigged its registration figures and says they reflect several generous orders won in the last couple of months.
Maintaining its third position in the heavy market is Mercedes Benz, which sold more than 1,000 trucks in the UK market last month, the first time its has achieved that milestone. Managing director Hans Tauscher says Mercedes is now selling more trucks each month in Britain than it sold in all of 1974, the company's first year of operation in this count/Y.
Mercedes-Benz has sold 5,467 trucks so far this year, up 10.48% on last year. Volvo is also faring well, with sales up 32.25% to 4,154 trucks giving it fourth place in the • A European-wide cellular radio system came one step closer this week when 13 European nations including Britain agreed to build a network.
The new service, due to be in place by 1991, will be operated in this country by both Cellnet and Racal, the two companies which currently operate cellular radio systems in the UK. Most of the other British manufacturers have seen their sales rise appreciably. Renault Truck Industries is holding fifth place in the market with sales of 3,404 trucks, up 14.5% on last year's figure. Seddon Atkinson sales are up 10.1% to 1,154 trucks, but the company has been overtaken in the sales league by ERF, where sales are up 45.1% to 1,483 trucks.
ERF also leap-frogs MAN to take seventh place in the sales chart. The German manufacturer has seen sales increase by around 12% to 1,319 trucks in the past 12 months.
hi the light commercial market (below 3.5 tonnes) the picture is not so clear. Ford dominates the market vrtili 37.2% of sales (up from 30.6% this time last year.) Sales of Bedford vans were up slightly last month, helping the company to retain second place in the market with 25,279 sales (down 6.5% on the first eight months of 1986).
Austin Rover's miserable year in the light commercial sector continues, with sales down 7.37% last month and total sales this year down 17.84%.
By contrast, Freight Rover, which is now part of Leyland Daf, has seen sales rise 9.7% this year, with sales of Sherpas reaching 1,682 units last month. Renault is close behind with 10,145 sales (up 10.89%), and Peugeot is fifth with 8,239 sales.
The most dramatic improvement in performance in the light commercial sector has come from Suziki, whose Super Carry minivan, produced by Bedford at Luton, has boosted sales by 77.6%. Fiat is also faring well with sales up 35.8% this year.
0 Signs earlier this year that the tide of imports was being reversed by British commercial vehicle manufacturers were undermined last month when importers took 44.62% of the market, up from 43.12% for August 1986. For the 'first eight months of the year, however imports are down from 39.99% to 38.08%.