Euro-1 boosts figures
Page 8
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
by Karen Miles • Soaring truck registration figures for September could be good news for hauliers looking for competitive deals on new vehicles.
Much of the 85% leap in the registrations of rigids and tractors over 3.5 tonnes is attributed to dealers being forced to register some of their stock because of changed emission standards.
Dealers had until the end of September to register and tax any vehicles which do not conform to the EC's Euro-1 standard: this means they are technically secondhand. More than 5,000 rigicis and tractors were registered in September compared with 2,738 for September 1992.
Foden's registrations surged by 481% to 151; Volvo's by 214% to 869; and MAN's by 166% to 269.
Mike Mudie, chairman of the Retail Motor Industry Federation's truck committee,
says: "Quite a large amount of the 85% increase is to avoid non-compliance with Eum1...however it still seems to have been a good month." He warns that the rush to register non-Euro-1 vehicles could
depress October's figures. Manufacturers are also pleased with the improvements in the van market—traditionally the last commercial vehicle sector to show signs of life after recession.