Sales of vans and other light commercial vehicles (LCVs) are off to what the Society of Motor Traders and Manufacturers has described as a ‘steady start’ in 2017. The figures for January show a modest 1.2% rise over the same month in 2016.
Pickups and heavy vans – those from 2.5 to 3.5 tonnes – both showed encouraging growth, while Ford has carried on where it left off in 2016 with its strongest January performance since 1990.
Also read: The best 3.5t large vans for payload
Winners and losers in January 2017
In total, 21,363 new LCVs were registered in January 2017 – and 12,617 of them were heavy vans, by far the bulk of the market. That’s a 5.6% rise over the previous January and is a positive sign for both the van market and for business in Britain in general.
Pickup sales rose from 2,668 registrations in January 2016 to 3,439 in January 2017, a huge 28.9% increase that reinforces the importance of this area of the market. And there are more exciting models to come this year – as you can find out in our guide to the new pickups coming soon.
The areas of the van market that didn’t do so well were 4x4s – those derived from passenger SUVs – which were down 94.2%, and small vans under 2.0 tonnes, which were down 16.2%.
Also read: New pickups coming soon
Ford takes the lead in every segment – and Europe
While the overall van market was up 1.2% compared to January 2016, Ford’s LCV sales rocketed by 22.4%. With a total of 7,709 vehicles registered, Ford also achieved a 36.1% market share – it’s highest since 1990 and an increase from 29.8% in January 2016.
It sold almost double the number of its closes rival and now leads every area of the van market it competes in – with the Transit Custom, Transit and Transit Connect taking the top three spots overall. The full UK top 10 is shown in the official chart from the SMMT below.
If these results continue, 2017 will become Ford’s 52nd year of commercial vehicle leadership in the UK. What’s more, it’s now been confirmed as the most popular CV brand in Europe during 2016, overtaking long-time leader European favourite Renault.
Also read: Top 10- best-selling vans of 2016
