Total commercial vehicle registrations here in the UK rose 12.6% year on year in May to 27,198. Year to date sales rose 8.3% to 138,027.
Van demand in May 2014 bounced back from an April dip, posting an 18.4% YOY rise to 24,283 registrations with YTD volume up 13.3% to 124,820.
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Truck registrations remained subdued in May with volume down 20% to 2,915 last month.
YTD, trucks were off 23.8% to 13,207, reflecting a pull-forward of orders last year ahead of the introduction of Euro 6 emission rules.
“The van sector rose 18.4% in May, a solid performance that was pleasing to see after a -0.6% blip in registration levels last month,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive.
“Vans continue to perform in line with SMMT’s expectations for the year, while trucks lag behind 2013 levels as the effect of switching to new Euro 6 compliant models is ongoing.
“It is likely that 2014 truck volumes will fall behind last year’s total, while new van introductions should sustain this part of the market.”
UK van and truck registrations: 2014 and % change on 2013
| May | % change | Year-to-date | % change | Rolling year | % change | |
| Vans | 24,283 | 18.4% | 124,820 | 13.3% | 285,757 | 13.3% |
| Trucks | 2,915 | -20.0% | 13,207 | -23.8% | 52,100 | 21.7% |
| Total | 27,198 | 12.6% | 138,027 | 8.3% | 337,857 | 14.5% |
Source: SMMT
