Registrations of new vans in the UK slumped in April, the latest set of figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers has revealed.
In total, 22,625 LCVs were registered last month, some 18.8% less than in April 2016, with all sectors bar the booming pick-up market experiencing a decline.
The pick-up market grew by 4.5% to 3,851 units, while vans weighing between 2.5-3.5 tonnes – the biggest sector in terms of volume – saw registrations fall by 23.1% to 13,583 vehicles.
Vans weighing under 2.0-tonnes also experienced a significant decline during the month, falling by 37.5% to 1,747 units, while sales of vans weighing between 2.0-2.5-tonnes dipped, falling by just 0.2%.
The tiny 4×4 market also suffered, with registrations plummeting by 92.6% to just 23 units.
Year-to-date performance, meanwhile, was down by 4.9% compared with the first four months of 2016, yet the SMMT claimed the market is still in a strong position.
“April is traditionally a small month for new LCV registrations following the plate-change in March and, coming on the back of double-digit growth that resulted in a record April in 2016, this month’s decline comes as no surprise,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive. “Overall, the market remains robust, however, and so long as business confidence among operators can be maintained, we expect to see the market remain at what is a historically high level over the course of the year.”
