Commercial registrations and activity
Strong April result for light and medium commercials
13 May 2019
Our take on the latest Commercial registrations and activity (Mon 13 May 2019)
New light commercials up 1.8%pa in the 3 months to April 2019
New medium commercials up 14%pa in the 3 months to April 2019
New very heavy commercials down 2.3%pa in the 3 months to April 2019
The key numbers...
- New commercial registrations have been volatile in recent months, which is no surprise given low business confidence and the uncertainty hanging over economic conditions.
- High levels of new light and new medium commercial registrations reflect a strong primary sector and continued momentum in the construction sector.
- April’s weak result is not enough to be confident of a turning point in new very heavy commercial registrations. We continue to expect a further lift in sales later this year in response to continued economic growth.
New commercial registrations
3m APC
...and our reaction
- Following declines in early 2019, new light commercial vehicle registrations rose 1.8% in the three months to April 2019 compared with a year earlier, while new medium commercial vehicle registrations rose 14%.
- Over the same period, new very heavy commercial vehicle registrations fell 2.3%. However, the annual sales total is only slightly below the record high reached in March this year.
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