New van sales show improvement

Registrations of new commercial vehicles – vans and trucks -were 10,348 in February taking the rolling year total to just 220,521, which is down 32.2% on the same period last year.

Van sales were 8,978 for the month, taking the year to date total to 188,048, down 30.6%, while truck sales were down 40%.

"Despite the hesitant economic recovery, demand for new vans has picked up, though trucks still struggle in one of the most difficult markets since the early 1990s," said Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive.

"We don't expect a consistent recovery for some time, either for new vans or trucks, so durable growth in business investment and confidence is vital. The government's 2010 Budget needs to deliver clear, supportive and dependable policies, including better access to business credit to sustain that recovering demand for vans and trucks."