UK registrations for new vans and trucks were 36.2 percent down in 2009 compared to the previous year, data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) have shown.
Over the year, vans dropped 35.6 percent to 186,386 units, while trucks declined almost 40 percent to 34,746 units.
Van demand dropped sharply in 2009 but it eased at the year-end, reaching a minus 14.3 percent in December.
Truck registrations dropped further and faster in the final months of the year and were 46.9 percent in December.
SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt commented: “Business demand and consumer confidence remains low and the effects of recession will be slow to clear in key parts of the commercial vehicle markets.
“It is essential that government helps to sustain economic recovery by encouraging capital investment and more affordable finance,” he said.
Antonio Fabrizio
