1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204 
Stephen Kirk, PR and Marketing director, Volvo Truck and Bus
Page 24
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
If there's been one characteristic of the CV Market to confound the planners, its been its ability to sustain a longer period of growth than anyone dared imagine, at least in the market sector over 15 tonnes.
May heavy truck performance continues to support this trend, with a 5,5% increase year to date over 2004. Above average growth has been seen in both the artic and three-axle rigid markets, at 6.7% and 9.5% respectively.
The burning question is: how long will this positive trend continue? Naturally, the UK economy will be at the heart of any answer.
The retail sector is giving out increasing warnings of a consumer spending slowdown, not helped by yet another period of unchanged interest rates. And much as we are all hoping for the famous "soft landing" for the economy and some relative stability for the heavy truck market there are other forces in play.
Take just one example: emissions regulations. Truck operators are now facing the decision of either staying with Euro 3 as long as possible or moving to Euro 4/5, with or without a Government incentive. All of which will have an inevitable effect on orders and registrations for the next 12 months, Whatever forecasting methods truck manufacturers employ in the search for that elusive certainty, one thing is for sure -it's going to be a bumpy next few months for the heavy truck market, whatever the type of landing.