Registrations up
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F Once again the truck market has confounded the pundits, with a sharp upswing in sales for the month of March. The rise was helped by the introduction of 1-registration plates and the end of uncertainty about Budget measures.
Sales of vehicles over 3.5 tonnes GM recovered after the hesitation in February, and figures for the year to date are up by 1.3%— although some industry observers had predicted a slack start to the year.
Light CV sales have fluctuated even more: March sales of 1.8-3.5tonne vans were 250% higher than in February, although sales for the year to date are down by almost 5%. Major success stories in 1999 include Citroen vans, Renault VI tractive units and Foden, whose year-to-date sales are up by almost 67%.
• The new chief executive of the SMMT is Christopher Macgowan, former head of the Retail Motor Industry Federation, who has a background in marketing for British Leyland, Massey Ferguson and Ransomes.