Sales keep on rising
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JANUARY's growth in the new commercial vehicle market was sustained last month, and there are signs in Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders figures that British manufacturers are at last halting importers' rising market shares.
The over-3.5 tonne sector did best of all in percentage terms, with a 15 per cent leap last month from 3,718 to 4,274 vehicles, while the overall commercial vehicle market grew by 10.2 per cent to 23,627 vehicles. Total import share was down from 32.4 to 32.1 per cent.
It was an especially rewarding month for Bedford, where dealer incentives boosted registrations in all market sectors. Over 3.5 tonnes, market share climbed by 1.8 percentage points to 12.8 per cent, with 546 vehicles registered. That kept it in third place behind Leyland and Ford, the latter now back in top position with 725 vehicles (17 per cent).
For the first two months of 1984, over-3.5 tonne registrations are up by 12.6 per cent from 7,420 to 8,353, and Ford is just ahead of Leyland with a 15.2 per cent market share (1983: 20.4 per cent) to Leyland's 14.8 per cent (1983: 14 per cent).
• British manufacturers are making more commercial vehicles this year than they did at the same time last year, according to provisional figures from the Department of Trade and Industry.
The monthly average for the first two months of the year is 21,800, against 20,800 for the same period in 1983.