Low commercial vehicle sales a concern – NFDA
The National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) has expressed concern at low commercial vehicle sales numbers in September.
It has now called on the government to introduce support packages for the sector in the upcoming budget, particularly around electric vehicle adoption.
Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders revealed that 47,418 new vans and light commercials were sold last month. This represents a decline of 2.1% and then 10th successive month of falling volumes.
Year-to-date, diesel sales are down by 28.2% to 12,609 units, petrol sales have increased marginally by 2.4% to 141,310 units, while the biggest growth has been in electrified models, with electric vehicles up 29.1% to 72,779 units, plug-in hybrids climbing 56.4% to 38,308 units and hybrids rising 23.5% to 47,885 units.
Market in decline
Sue Robinson, CEO of the NFDA, said: “Whilst September has seen a modest increase in new van registrations compared to August, the market remains in decline compared to previous years
“September is a critical month for the sector therefore it is concerning to see that LCV registrations did not bounce back into positive registrations. BEV growth is reassuring as ever but dealers need some reassurance in months to come as registrations are likely to continue decline in October.”
