CV sales more than halved in February, falling by 51%. The pickup market was the hardest hit with a 94.1% decline, followed by vans with 53%. The collapse in truck sales also continued, plunging by 42.3% for the month. MAN and Renault Trucks were the worst affected, both suffering a 70% decrease according to latest SMMT figures.
Further standout casualties were Volvo (50%), along with Scania, DAF, Mercedes-Benz and Iveco, which all suffered falls in the 30s. The three-axle artic category had the biggest fall in the HGV sector with 60.1%. On the light CV side, Iveco recorded the largest reduction with 75.7%, while LDV was just behind with 73.0%.
Further down the table, Fiat and Renault recorded 68.8% and 68.2%, while Ford, Mercedes
, Volkswagen, Peugeot and Citroën all saw declines in the 50s - light vans up to 1.8 tonnes recorded the biggest losses in the LCV category with 58%.
The total year-to-date figure for overall CV sales is similarly bleak with a 47.3% drop: trucks and vans suffered 36.6% and 49.6% declines respectively.
Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive, says: "The UK commercial vehicle business is under intense pressure, with the slump in UK demand for vans and now trucks a big issue for the UK economy. These are unique circumstances in which the government must help.
"We need direct, positive action to give people the confidence to buy now."
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