Light commercial vehicle market on road to recovery
The new light commercial vehicle market rose 3.6% in May to 23,620 units, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
LCV growth was driven by increased demand for large vans, with registrations up 18.6% to 17,380 units and a market share of 73.6%. Uptake of 4x4s also grew, up 16.2% to 832 units, while deliveries of medium and small vans fell by 7.5% and 24.5% to 3,762 and 508 units respectively.
Meanwhile, demand for pickups fell sharply for an eighth month, down 57.7% to 1,138 registrations.
The SMMT has also reported that demand for electric vans grew by 35.5% with 2,345 registrations in May as the market share reached 9.8%, up from 7.6% in the same period last year.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “Two months of LCV market growth is good news, but the overall outlook remains challenging. Battery electric van uptake is rising, but not fast enough to match regulatory ambition, while the collapse in pickup demand shows how quickly tax policy can hit key sectors.
“If the transition is to succeed, regulation, infrastructure and incentives must be aligned with the realities of the market.”
