After rising by 9.3% so far this year, van sales fell in July, with 18,417 new vans registered, down from down from 18,913 in July 2012, and significantly lower than the 23,041 vans that were registered in June.
Total CV registrations were stable in July at 22,211 (-0.6%) with 177,708 registrations over the year-to-date, a 6.5% rise, while truck demand rose by 10.3%, helping to cancel out the falls that have been seen over the last few months.
UK van and truck registrations: 2013 and % change on 2012
| July | % change | Year-to-date | % change | Rolling year | % change | |
| Vans | 18,417 | -2.6% | 151,594 | 9.3% | 252,536 | 1.6% |
| Trucks | 3,794 | 10.3% | 25,114 | -7.8% | 43,580 | -8.8% |
| Total | 22,211 | -0.6% | 176,708 | 6.5% | 296,116 | 0.0% |
Data courtesy of SMMT (www.smmt.co.uk)
Nigel Base, the SMMT Commercial Vehicle Manager, says that the rise in truck registrations was expected, but he’s confident that despite this month’s dip, van sales will finish the year strongly:
“We’ve been expecting a rise in truck volumes as the Euro 5/6 issue comes to a head. In July, trucks rose 10.3% continuing the trend begun a month earlier – a momentum that should continue to the end of the year.
Van registrations have fluctuated through the year with dips following sizable peaks in demand. We are confident that the van market will end the year strongly, up 9.2% on 2012, topping 261,000 units.”
As was the case last month, the biggest rise in van registrations was in the popular 2.0t – 2.5t small van category, which includes modesl such as the Citroen Berlingo and Ford Transit Connect. Sales in this category rose by 24.3% last month, compared to July 2012, while sales of larger vans in the 2.5t – 3.5t category fell by 8%.
Europe’s the problem
The SMMT press release was accompanied by an interesting graph I haven’t seen before, comparing sales across the 27 EC member countries, for the 12 months to June 2007 and June 2013.
It’s a telling story, and shows how CV sales in several major European CV markets remain deeply depressed compared to their pre-recessions levels:
EC(27) new CV registrations for the 12 months to June 2007 and June 2013 (courtesy of SMMT)
This graph shows just how far the UK CV market is lagging behind it pre-recession levels — but perhaps the most interesting thing about this graph, for me, is what it reveals about our European neighbours.
Greece and Spain, as you would expect, are deep in the doldrums, with CV registrations of less than half their pre-recession levels. Yet Italy — which is often talked about as a potential bailout target in the same breath as Spain — has CV registrations that are closer to 2007 levels than those of the UK. If CV registrations are any kind of barometer of economic health, then Italy and Spain are very different cases.
Germany and France remain in relatively good health, but both of these companies are notably biased towards home-grown products when it comes to vehicle purchases, so neither is likely to help boost UK CV manufacturing figures.
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