January truck registrations down 25%
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NEW TRUCK registrations started poorly in the UK this year, with January's registrations down by almost a quarter (25%) on last year.
Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) revealed that registrations of new trucks of 6-tonne GVW and over in January were 24.9% below last year's January total. The number of rigid chassis registered decreased by 27.4% and tractor unit registrations were 21.3% lower. Nearly all truck manufacturers posted lower figures, with only MAN and Nino registering more trucks this January than last.
The SMMT strikes an upbeat note, focusing instead on the van market, where registrations of all vans up to and including 3.5-tonne GVW were 11.9% up on January 2012. Most of that growth was in the lower and middle-weight sectors; registrations of vans between 2.5-tonne and 3.5-tonne GVVV were up by 3.7%. Although this is just one month's data, the SMMT expects van registrations to continue to increase after falling by almost 8% last year.
SMMT commercial vehicle manager Nigel Base said: "Van registrations were up 12% in the month and SMMT forecasts that the LCV sector will expand almost 5% over the year, with new models and greater business confidence driving the market."