Used drought ups sales by Amanda Bradbury • Truck manufacturers
Page 15
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
across the industry are reporting increased sales in all weight sectors, as the second hand market runs dry, finance becomes cheaper and vehicles bought in the boom years come up for replacement.
Volume buyers include Swift Transport Services, which bought 50 new trailers last year and has already ordered 40 new units. Engineering director Colin Miles says second hand trailer prices are hardening, making new vehicles look more attractive.
CAP Red Book senior editor Alan Senior believes that demand for new vehicles will grow this year as low mileage second hand models are scarce.
Scania says its heavy truck order book from the start of the year to 20 February was up 15%, while new registrations were up by more than 30%.
Mercedes-Benz reports its sales over 3.5 tonnes are up 14% for the same period; sales over 7.5 tonnes were up 8.5% on the same period last year.
However in the latest SMMT figures heavy truck sales are down 4.5% to 1,025 for the first 20 days in February: sales of artics and heavy rigids were down 5% in January compared with January 1992.
Scania (Great Britain) managing director Dieter Merz says this decrease can be explained entirely by the freeze in Leyland Daf deliveries which would otherwise have taken the market up 5% in February.
Merz is confident that the upward sales trend will continue: "If you look at written business it's at the same level as last year, but our salesmen are very busy with enquiries.
It's also more difficult to get good second hand vehicles," he points out.
Long term trends look good, Merz concludes: he expects the 15-tonne truck market to rise 50% over the next few years.