Sales slump warning
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by Ian Wylie
• Commercial vehicle sales are heading for another trough, warn truck dealers.
Although sales of new CVs increased by more than 14% during the first seven months of 1995, the revival nearly stalled last month with a rise of just 2% on August 1994.
The light commercial sector did best, with an 8% rise on August 1994, and truck and artic sales rose by a modest 3%, but light van sales were down by 7%. Ford and Vauxhall carderived van sales fell, although Renault and Citroen sales increased.
In the LCV sector Ford, Toyota and Nissan performed strongly at the expense of LDV and Volkswagen. Mercedes-Benz truck sales were down 15%.
Neil Marshall of the Retail Motor Industry Federation says it could be spring 1996 before sales start climbing again: "It seems truck dealers have experienced another false dawn, and our guess is that we will soon see distress selling again," he warns. "My greatest concern is the light van sector. Any sign that the recovery is bearing up should appear among the self-employed and small business buyers, but there is no evidence of any spending spree."
The picture is even bleaker in the used truck market, where independent dealers say sales are down by 10% since the beginning of the year. Warren Cole, director of West Midlands' Bran drick Trucks, says independent dealers are also suffering from a shortage of quality used vehicles.
"Used truck dealers just can't compete with some of the finance and contract management deals being offered on new trucks at the moment," he says. "Many of the smaller hauliers who would have bought used trucks have been swallowed up by larger operators.