New truck sales rise as better future predicted
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• '['he long-term haemorrhage in new truck registrations is starting to heal.
April's Society of Motor Manufacturers new truck and artic registration figures show sales are still down—by 4.4% compared with April 1992—but the same figures for the previous year reveal an 11.3% slow down.
Manufacturers say that confidence is now starting to work its way through to sales.
Mercedes, which is closely tailing sales leader Iveco Ford, says it sees recovery in sight.
Launching its EC range last week, ERF says it has taken "significant orders from big fleets", mainly for its 4x2 tractors, the Edo, EC12 and EC14.
Iveco Ford, still holding on as the UK market leader last month, agrees that confidence is growing but warns that the improvement must be kept in perspective. Last month the coin pany recorded 400 orders for its new EuroTech tractor range.
Though the 7.5-tonne market dropped by 2% in April, the 17. tonne market is showing some signs of growth, picking up by 8.5% last month.
Sales of heavy construction models remain depressed with three-axle rigids down.70'