Car and Van News

The UK’s new van market jumped by almost half in April, compensating for declining truck registrations to boost the CV sector.

The 43 per cent rise in van registrations, to 20,751 units, represented year-to-date growth of 17.6 per cent.

Registrations of new cars surged by almost 15 per cent in April – the strongest climb in 14 months of solid growth.

The result, up 14.8 per cent to 163,357 units and the best April performance since 2008, brought the figures for the first four months of 2013 to 768,555 units – up 8.9 per cent.

The UK’s commercial van market is on the way back, with an 11.5 per cent rise in registrations in March.

The figures of 43,684 have contributed to growth of 11.7 per cent during the first quarter of 2013, after slipping back through much of 2012.

UK new car registrations rose 5.9 per cent in March, a key period for dealers with the launch of the 13 registration plate.

The 13th consecutive month of growth in new car registrations saw volumes at their highest since 2010 when the Scrappage Incentive Scheme was bolstering the market.

The UK’s van market continued to strengthen in February, an 11.8 per cent rise following January’s growth of 11.9 per cent.

The figures are all the more encouraging considering that the market slid by eight per cent in 2012.

New car registrations in the UK rose by 7.9 per cent in February to 66,749 units.

The 12th successive month of growth was all the more remarkable considering that February is typically the quietest period, buyers waiting for the registration plate-change in March.

Britain’s beleaguered van market has staged a comeback in the first month of 2013, with registrations climbing 11.9 per cent.

However the figures are still down 6.2 per cent in rolling-year terms.