Best May for a decade – CV production up 26.5%

UK commercial vehicle (CV) production grew 26.5 per cent in the fifth month of 2022, with 7,900 new vans, buses, trucks, coaches and taxis leaving British factory lines. Reporting these figures, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) comments that CV manufacturers recorded their best May performance since 2012, continuing a strong start to 2022 with five consecutive months of growth.

While output for customers in the UK declined by 26.3 per cent, production for overseas markets grew by 91.6 per cent, partly due to greater demand following the end of many lockdown measures abroad. Exports of British-build CVs during the month accounted for 67.9 per cent of output, with some 91.8 per cent of these destined for the EU.

Year-to-date, CV production is up 44.0 per cent on last year, at 41,047 units, and 29.1 per cent up on the same period in 2019, making this year the best January to May performance since 2012. The SMMT views this as evidence of robust demand from fleet operators and the capacity of CV manufacturers to deliver for the market despite significant global supply constraints and domestic economic challenges.

“The CV sector is a rare beacon amid the gloom of economic challenges being faced by businesses and fleet operators in the UK,” comments Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive. “With the best year to May output for a decade, and a growing number of zero emission commercial vehicle models for a wider range of use cases, there are grounds for optimism. However, competitiveness is not guaranteed as rising energy costs and inflation continue to have a detrimental impact on manufacturers and markets. These issues must be tackled head-on, to enable investment in innovation and training that will drive the CV sector’s transition to net zero, futureproofing jobs and livelihoods for years to come.”