The new van market finished the first three months of the year on a high, with a 3.3% uplift in demand in March, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
The 63,913 registrations made in the month represented some two thirds of the quarter’s total volume, with almost 99,000 new light commercial vehicles (LCVs) hitting British roads in the year to date – up 1.2% on the same period in 2015.
The trend towards heavier vehicles continued, with a substantial 14.2% rise in the 2.5-3.5T segment last month, counteracting a decline in registrations of vans weighing less than 2.5T.
The 3.5-6T truck sector saw registrations fall slightly by 1.9%, while demand for pickups showed a 5.3% gain in March.
Across Europe it was a similar story of modest growth in car sales reported by the SMMT on wednesday.
The Western European market has grown by 5.1% year on year (y/y) in March to 1,639,168 units, according to the latest IHS Automotive forecast.
Some markets were influenced by the Easter holidays that fell during March as opposed to April in 2015. March’s sales results meant that the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) for the region at the figure of 14 million units.
German passenger car sales were completely flat in March at 322,913 units, which indicated a positive and stable market development, with combined sales for the first quarter rising by 4.5% y/y to 791,424 units, according to the latest data released by the KBA.
In the French market, the passenger car category’s monthly registrations are up 7.5% y/y to 211,264 units. This has put its first-quarter registrations at 516,392 units, an increase of 8.2% y/y.
The Italian passenger car market has improvement further in March as momentum continues in this market. Registrations during the month have increased by 17.4% y/y to 190,426 units. This has further positively contributed to its YTD performance; registrations for the first quarter now standing at 519,256 units, a gain of 20.8% y/y.
After a 30-month run of gains, the Spanish market recorded a dip during March of 0.7% y/y to 111,512 units. However, gains in the first two months of the year put its quarterly rise at 6.9% y/y to 285,495 units.