UK commercial vehicle manufacturers produced 13% fewer vehicles in March than they did during the same period last year, according to new figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Vauxhall’s Luton plant, which builds the Vivaro, continues to be the single largest contributor to UK CV production (image courtesy of SMMT)

Total CV output fell by 13% from 9,648 units in March 2015 to 8,398 units in March this year. The cause of the decline was a slump in UK demand, which fell by 23.7% to 3,868 units.

Export demand was almost unchanged on the same period last year, although this should be seen in context against the exceptional 60%+ surge in export sales seen in March last year.

Figures courtesy of SMMT (www.smmt.co.uk)

These figures also need to be seen in the context of the boom in CV production and the record level of new van registrations in 2015. Commenting on the figures, Mike Hawes, the SMMT’s chief executive, was keen to emphasise that some moderation in volumes this year was almost inevitable:

“Following the substantial boost to volumes seen in 2015, it is unsurprising that March’s production figures were more subdued. However, exports are driving output, with more than half of all the commercial vehicles made in Britain in 2016 produced for overseas buyers. With continued recovery in Europe, we can be optimistic that this trend will continue.”

Although I broadly agree with Mr Hawes’ view, only time will tell whether EU countries such as Spain will see quite such a strong recovery in new van registrations as that seen in the UK.

I also note that Mr Hawes chose to gloss over the decline in UK demand for UK CVs. This suggests to me that the long overdue replacement cycle has now completed and that new registrations may also moderate somewhat.

There are now more than four million vans on UK roads, a record high according to Motorparc data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

There are more vans on UK roads than ever before, according to the SMMT (image courtesy of SMMT)

The number of vans on our roads has risen by 4.3% over the last year, an increase the SMMT believes is linked to rising business confidence and rapid growth in online shopping.  Here’s a few surprising facts about the UK’s vans:

• If you parked all the vans in the UK end-to-end, they would stretch 28 times the length of the A1.
• The combined payload volume of all the vans in the UK adds up to 26.2 million cubic metres – the equivalent of 10,483 Olympic swimming pools.
• More than half (57.0%) of the vans on the road are white, with silver (11.4%) in second place and blue (9.0%) third.

Demand for new vans in the UK is now at record levels: registrations grew 1.2% in the first quarter of 2016, following a bumper 2015 which saw more than 370,000 units registered. Vans now cover around 45 billion miles across the UK each year. This makes it important that the van parc is kept modern and is well maintained in order to minimise its carbon footprint.

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said:

“Commercial vehicles have never been more important to the British economy, transporting vital goods and services using the latest low emission technology. The CV Show will demonstrate the huge progress that the whole industry continues to make, with a wealth of new products on display from manufacturers, suppliers, aftermarket companies and service providers.”

According to the SMMT, the commercial vehicle sector contributes £11bn annually to the UK economy. CVs cover 61 billion miles each year in the UK, with vans account 45 billion of these – an all-time high. Almost 3,000 tonnes of goods are moved by road every minute – three times more than by water and rail combined.