2:25 pm, December 4, 2020
The LCV market enjoyed its third consecutive month of growth in November with registrations rising by 8.8 per cent to 28,541 vehicles on 2019’s figure, the SMMT said today (Dec 4).
The trade body said that although there had been prolonged uncertainty, the sector responded to increasing demand as businesses scaled up their online delivery operations.
Demand for battery-electric and plug-in hybrid LCVs continued to grow – up 79.7 per cent compared with November last year and doubling their share of the market to 1.9 per cent of all LCV registrations in the year to date.
However, although rising e-commerce has helped demand for vans grow, the SMMT said that performance in the year to date was still behind last year’s relatively weak numbers – down 21.5 per cent, or almost 73,000 units short on the figure for the first 11 months of 2019.
Mike Hawes, the SMMT’s chief executive, said: ‘Growth in new van registrations, even through November’s lockdown, is welcome during these turbulent times but it’s important not to assume a long trend just yet.
‘As regions emerge from lockdown for the final month of 2020, it’s vital that this growth translates into longer-term investment in fleet renewal for the sector to help drive the economy towards recovery.’
The top-selling LCV was the Ford Transit Custom at 4,156 units. The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter came in second at 2,747, while the Ford Transit was third with 2,356 vehicles sold.
Bottom of the top 10 was the Vauxhall Movano, pictured, which shifted 960 units.
Source: SMMT
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