What's the news?
In amongst the gloomy news from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) the other day, in which it reported new-car registrations are down on 2017's numbers, there was a glimmer of good news about Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) - and now Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VWCV) has built upon that by reporting a strong start to 2018.
VWCV says its sales are up 14 per cent for the first quarter of this year, with more than 2,500 vehicles registered.
Driving this success was the all-new Crafter, International Van of the Year for 2017, which saw deliveries increase 53 per cent - the remaining top-four manufacturers in the Crafter's segment saw a 6 per cent decline, which says something about VWCV's success.
The Amarok V6, 2018's International Pick-Up of the Year, also saw a huge upswing, with a 46 per cent increase in volume. Again, this is against a backdrop in which the remaining top-four manufacturers in the segment recorded a 17 per cent decline. Meanwhile, the Caddy - available in van and MPV configurations - held onto its number-one spot as the best-selling CV in Ireland, following its success in 2017.
VWCV says its finance products are also selling well, with 0 per cent HP, PCP and Customer Lease seeing giant increases of 52 per cent overall, as customers flock to use these services in 2018. VWCV Ireland has also seen an increase of €5 million in funds advanced, resulting in a figure in excess of €15m for quarter one (Q1) alone.
Anything else?
Alan Bateson, managing director of VWCV Ireland, said: "We would, once again, like to thank our customers for the great trust they invest in our products. We want to continue to deliver high-standard, high-quality products to meet the needs of our loyal customers. Thanks to our brilliant Van Centre sales network and the motivated team members in each location, we have seen a large increase in delivery volume.
"Looking forward to Q2, we have brilliant sales offers in the market. With 0 per cent APR HP Finance, Ireland's only Commercial Vehicle PCP Solution and our new Customer Lease product provided by Volkswagen Financial services, we feel we can tailor the perfect solution for Irish customers and continue to extend the strong start we have had into the remainder of 2018."