Low Cost Vans

Good news was announced this week for both the auto finance industry and UK businesses. The FLA has reported that demand for motor finance has continued to stay strong throughout this year. New business volumes were reported as 29% higher in March than the same month in 2013, hinting at the strongest growth in the consumer used car finance market so far this year. Recent figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show consumer new car finance volumes were up by 21% in March compared with the same month last year. They were also up by 23% in Q1 2014. The FLA also reported on the rise of new consumer finance, which grew by 19% in March, compared with the same month last year, and was up 17% in Q1 of 2014. The figures show that growth in new business extended beyond the point-of-sale market into credit card finance and personal loans, with an increase in these two sectors of 12% in March, and a 10% rise in Q1 this year. Figures and data tables below are from the FLA...

Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles  has proudly announced in a recent press release that 2013 was their best year ever in terms of van sales. In total, last year saw a 21% increase on 2012 with 30,257 vans registered, beating 2007’s previous record. That was definitely an accomplishment to be proud of, as they achieved nearly double the registrations of the whole van market/LCV industry that year (+11.7%).  Mercedes-Benz Vans is the sales and marketing organisation responsible for all Daimler Van products and services in Britain. With a strong commercial vehicle line-up such as; the new Citan, Vito, and the new model and ever popular Sprinter vans, it’s no wonder they are experiencing steady growth in the LCV market. The solid range of vans now on offer from Mercedes-Benz combined with a more customer focused centre and good reviews for the well received 2014 Sprinter should see sales stay on the upward swing this year as well. It seems they really may have “the right van for the job”. ...

Fantastic news for the van/CV market reported from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders this week. New figures released by the SMMT showed that vans drove a 17.5% increase in commercial vehicle registrations in February. Light commercial vehicle numbers climbed by 28.2% ahead of the new number plate in March, with 11,731 units. The figures recorded a soaring number for vans between 2.0 and 2.5t, which recorded the biggest rise in registrations and were up 111.1% in February at 2,664, and 40.4% year-to-date at 5,122. Registrations of vans between 2.5 and 3.5t also increased by 23.8% in February and 25.8% year-to-date at 16,729 units so far in 2014. “ Growing van registrations supported the February vehicle market as middle and heavy-weight vans enjoyed healthy rises, reflecting improving economic activity ,” said Mike Hawes SMMT Chief Executive. Truck volumes are still struggling from a Euro-6-induced dip that continued into February but, on the bright side, the rate of decli...

The BCA (British Car Auctions) has released new figures that bring with them more good news this week for commercial vehicle values. According to the BCA data, average values of CV’s have continued their upward climb in January 2014, seeing them post a rise of the highest figures on record. Light commercial vehicles increased throughout the month, rising £11 to £5,322 compared to the values posted for December 2013. There has been speculation that the increase can be attributed to short stock levels with buyers competing for the limited used LCV’s available on the market. BCA’s General Manager – Commercial Vehicles, Duncan Ward, commented “ January essentially delivered more of what we saw throughout the previous 12 months – a shortage of stock allied to decent levels of demand that generated exceptionally strong prices in the used van market .” There was more fortunate news for used vans, as even though the average age increased, the values climbed again in the dealer part-exchange s...

It was a pretty good year in 2013 for van manufacturers, but according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), it was an amazingly good year for Vauxhall . The van maker built over 44,000 vans in the UK last year, making it Britain’s number one van maker for the 12th year running (based on the SMMT figures). The Luton van factory manufactured an impressive 44,657 Vivaro vans as UK Vivaro van sales were up 34% year-on-year. The production line hasn’t slowed down yet, as the factory is currently ramping up to build the new Vivaro which goes on sale later this year. Commenting on the upcoming van and newly upgraded Luton van factory, in their recent press release Vauxhall have said, “ Over 40 per cent of content for the new vehicle will be sourced locally. The plant and associated agencies directly employ over 1,200 people in the Luton area, and is a significant contributor to the local and wider UK economies ”. Did you know that Vauxhall celebrated 110 year...

We are well and truly into the new year and it’s time to take a look back at how the commercial vehicle market did in December and in the full year of 2013. The SMMT have released figures from December and as predicted, the market rose 14.7%. Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive has said that the latest figures mark the best performance in the last five years. Most impressive was the rise in van registrations. According to the SMMT data, vans rose 13.1% over the year, which was helped by an accumulated healthy growth in December of 32.5%. It seems that the recent positive economic growth and recovery has been a big factor in the rise in consumer confidence, giving way to such impressive year end figures. Truck registrations had a rocky ride in the last year, possibly due to Euro 6 compliance, but the figures clearly show that trucks have ended on a positive upturn in 2013 with an increase of 23%. The table below, published on the SMMT website, shows the positive December 2013 and year to ...

September turned out to be a fantastic month for commercial vehicle registrations.  According to the latest data from the SMMT , the CV sector rose by 12.4% in registrations in the month and the overall commercial vehicle market is up 8.1% for the year-to-date, at 239,356 units. Van registrations also had a significant rise of 10.3%, with 43,066 new 63-plate registrations and providing a rise of 9.6% over the year so far with 205,004 registrations.  Finally there was some good news for Trucks, as demand grew 29.7% in the month with 6,131 registrations; year-to-date recovery is on course, now stable, down just 0.1% on 2012 at 34,352 units. The SMMT says that this now puts trucks back to 2012 levels after a slow start to the year.   UK van and truck registrations: 2013 and % change on 2012 September % change Year-to-date % change Rolling   year % change Vans 43,066 10.3% 205,004 9.6% 257,578 4.1% Trucks 6,131 29.7% 34,352 -0.1% 45,683 -4.2% Total 49,197 12.4% 239,356 8.1% 303,261 2.7...

This week, figures published from the new BCA Used Car Market Report (September 2013) have shown that used car sales have returned to pre-recession levels. Professor Peter Cooke of the Centre for Automotive Management, University of Buckingham Business School, who authored the report, has said “ lower inflation, lower fuel costs, rising employment and a more stable economy helped restore car buyers' confidence somewhat in 2012 .” It also showed that dealers are coming out on top of the used car sales market, reaping 57.2% in terms of sales and representing 74.4% of the total market value. The stock shortage of used cars aged less than two years old has led way for vehicles aged from six years to well over nine years old to sell well over the last few years and with wider selections available on their forecourts, dealerships are dominating the market. The BCA’s press release detailing the results of the latest used car report also included some interesting figures related to the nu...

Keeping up to date with UK vehicle manufacturing data, I have read the SMMT's recently released figures for July 2013. In the previous report, the outlook was expected to be quite positive with CV registrations predicted to stay on the up during the first six months of this year. So what has changed since the last report, if anything? According to the SMMT’s latest figures, commercial vehicle (CV) output fell 11.8% to 7,942 units in July and year-to-date levels show a fall of 13.3% during the first seven months of 2013. However, the recent figures have shown export demand remaining strong with a 20.3% increase in the month. Weak demand closer to home is just one factor contributing to the decline in CV numbers. Nigel Base, SMMT Commercial Vehicle Manager said, “The outlook for commercial vehicle manufacturing for the rest of the year continues to be tough, especially following the closure of the Ford facility in Southampton at the end of July”. Although output of new commercial veh...

Last week the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders ( SMMT ) released the latest van and truck registration data for the month of June, 2013. It was good news for commercial vehicles with registrations up 7.6% at the year's halfway point with June volumes rising 4.5%. The figures from the start of the year in January to the mid-point in June were up 11.2% ahead of last year, boosted by a 3.4% rise in the month. June brought brighter news for the truck market- 11.7% rise in the month, which is showing signs of rebalancing after a shortfall of 10.4% behind 2012 for the first six months of the year. "The overall CV market rose 7.6% in the first half of 2013 with strong van registrations (up 11.2%) outweighing the uncertain truck market (down 10.4%)," said Nigel Base, SMMT Commercial Vehicle Manager . "Looking ahead to the rest of 2013, we expect the van market to remain stable with a return to a more normal replacement cycle sustaining the market. For trucks, grow...

The SMMT have released new UK Commercial Vehicle (CV) Manufacturing data for May 2013 this week. The news is yet again a bit flat this time around; as the SMMT report shows that a continued downward drift could cause misery to UK built CV manufacturing which includes light commercial vans , trucks, buses and coaches. The full automotive manufacturing data which is presented from a regular survey of selected UK manufacturers: 14 car manufacturers, nine CV and six engine manufacturers, shows that commercial vehicle output fell 20% in May to 7,560 units . The blame is being placed on weak European demand, as export volumes were down almost a third in the month and 31.5% for the first five months of 2013. "Commercial vehicle manufacturers continue to battle against weak demand, particularly abroad, with output sliding 20% in May. Demand for UK-built CVs in the home market grew moderately, but this was not enough to lessen the significant drop in export volumes," said Nigel Base...

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders ( SMMT ) have posted the May 2013 sales data for commercial vehicle registrations and although a brighter outlook was given in previous reports, there has been a slight dip in the figures. Total CV registrations dropped 4.7% in May to 24,149 units, but the market remains up 8.3% for the year-to-date. In the all-important commercial van market, van registrations were 3.8% behind May 2012 at 20,503 units; although the January-May volumes remain strong, up 13% to 110,136 units. Despite the minor blip, van sales this year are still positive and are expected to do well in the remaining months of this year. But yet again there was more bad news for trucks. A steady decline in truck demand meant registration fell 9.4% to 3,646 units in the month and declined 14.3% during the first five months of 2013. According to the detailed charts and graphs published on the SMMT website, it’s 4x4’s rather than pick-up trucks that have seen a slower rise in Ma...

Toyota has announced that they have taken back the coveted number one spot as the most valuable automotive brand in the recently published BrandZ™ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands 2013. Toyota’s brand value increased by 12% to $24.5 billion (£16.2 billion), making it one of the biggest movers in the automotive sector. In doing so, this brought BMW down a notch on the list and thoroughly surpassed Mercedes-Benz who placed a whole 23 places behind Toyota. The BrandZ™ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study, commissioned by WPP and conducted by Millward Brown Optimor, is the world's largest brand equity database (a marketing term used to describe the value of having a well-known brand name that will generate more money from products). The BrandZ™ report was first published back in 2006 and Toyota was crowned brand value leader in the automotive sector six times (coming in second on two separate occasions). Toyota's global sales in 2012 increased by 22.6% to 9.75 million unit...

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders ( SMMT ) have just released the UK Commercial vehicle manufacturing data for April 2013 and it's not all bad news, as the SMMT look on the bright side by announcing that the rate of decline in CV output slowed down in April. According to the latest figures, Commercial vehicle (CV) output fell 3.3% in April to 8,623 units, however despite the output continuing to decline in April, the fall was less than expected and output for the UK home market grew. "Demand for UK-built commercial vehicles continued to fall in April, with output dropping 3.3%. There is growth at some UK plants which helped to ease the rate of decline compared to previous months this year," said Mike Baunton, SMMT Interim Chief Executive. "2013 is proving to be a difficult year for our CV manufacturers as they experience weak demand from export markets, particularly Europe. Rising output for the home market is encouraging, demonstrating that UK operators...

According to the sales data I had read and recently posted on, Ford is the big player in America as far as commercial van sales go, but does that ring true for other markets around the world? I just stumbled upon a post on Daimler ’s global media website that gives us a better insight on which van sells best in Russia. Can you guess which one it is based on these clues: This full-size van model made its debut in 1995, there are manufacturing plants in Düsseldorf and Ludwigsfelde, Germany, Charleston, South Carolina, González Catan, Argentina, and Fuzhou, China, it can be seen as a background vehicle in the Disney-Pixar movie Cars 2, and available body styles include: Panel Van, Traveliner, Chassis Cab and Dropside. Oh and its slogan is "Every inch the consummate professional". Wow, you guys are good. Yes, it is indeed the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. Having been voted “Van of the Year 2013” in Russia, the Sprinter van has won the country’s largest nationwide automotive competition...

  Van and truck registration figures for April including year to date data has been released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) this week. Commercial vehicle (CV) registrations increased 30.9% in April to 24,370 units and grew 11.8% during the year so far. Based on such strong figures, it seems like the commercial van segment is leading the way to an improved outlook for the overall market. Van registrations rose 43% to 20,751 units in the month, and grew 17.6% during the year-to-date. For more details and specific graphical data, please visit the SMMT website here . Despite the boom in van sales, the demand for trucks fell 12.1% to 3,619 units in the month and declined 15.5% during the first four months of 2013. It is being speculated that buyers are possibly delaying truck purchases and exhibiting caution until the new Euro 6 legislation kicks in later in the year. One manufacturer that is leading the pack in both car and CV sales is Ford . Along with the SM...

Ford seems to be having another amazing year. With a slew of awards, accolades, and strong sales figures, thanks to the likes of their highly popular Ford Fiesta cars and vans, it seems the sky is the limit for this manufacturer. According to the official sales figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders ( SMMT ), Ford has increased its car and commercial vehicle (CV) sales for March and the year to date, compared with 2012. Total sales of Ford CVs in March were up from 10,534 to 11,649, compared with the same month last year, with share up from 22.0 to 22.8 per cent. Mark Ovenden, Ford of Britain managing director, said: "The important March sales month, when the number plate change boosts registrations, has provided more positive news for the UK market and seen Ford’s car and CV ranges continue their terrific 2013 sales record.” In the commercial vehicle sales stakes, Ford once again dominated the market with the Transit, Transit Custom, Tourneo Custom, and Fies...

According to Pulse Report data from the vehicle remarketing company, British Car Auctions ( BCA ), it shows average LCV values reached a new record level in February. They were actually the highest on record since Pulse began reporting in 2005. Last month saw the average February figure of £4,789 for LCVs and values in the fleet & lease LCV sector improved again in February, rising by £386 (7.1%) to £5,823 - the third consecutive month where a record average value has been achieved for corporate CV stock. Again the rise in values can be attributed to the shortage of stock and the high demand. It remains to be seen if the values will remain on the up or if the market will see a levelling out at some point this year. Below is a snapshot of year-on-year van sales provided in the BCA's latest press release. Year-on-year table: All vans All vans Avg Age Avg Mileage Avg Value Sale vs CAP Feb 2012 56.46 76,768 £4,272 98.23% Feb 2013 58.55 78,770 £4,789 103.05% For further information ...

Keeping up with the latest vehicle registration and sales data information has been a bit dizzying with one month seeing a reported increase and the next an almighty fall. There was however some good news this week in regards to increased commercial vehicle and van registrations as reported by the SMMT. Alas, truck registrations did not fare as well in the first month of the New Year. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) recent post shows that from the month of January 2013, commercial vehicle registrations rose 5.6% to 18,931 units. Truck registrations fell 19.6%, to 2,882 units in January, but were still 2.1% up for the rolling 12 months. Van registrations grew 11.9% to 16,049 units at the start of the year, but remained down for the rolling year. The biggest contributor to that increase sees Vans > 2.5 - 3.5t at 8,084 new registrations for 2013, up 3.7% from last January. The second highest registration was seen in Vans <= 2.0t.   UK van and truck registra...

Good news for UK car manufacturing was reported this week. They broke all-time export records in 2012. With volumes sent overseas exceeding 1.2 million, total vehicle output increased 8% last year to 1.58 million units, the highest level since 2008. According to the SMMT figures, the outlook for UK automotive manufacturing is good, with global demand remaining strong and UK facilities building on the significant investment committed to them in recent years. Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive said, "2012 was a very good year for UK car production with record levels of exports and volumes at their highest since 2008. The outlook for 2013 remains positive with demand in many faster growing global markets offsetting the continued weakness in European economies. The £6 billion of investment committed to UK facilities, new model programmes and R&D signals a bright future and many new opportunities for companies in the supply chain. These remain extremely challenging times and it is ...