THE online broker procurement platform, Fleet Procure, has posted a heartening performance in H1 2020 showing new vehicle orders were down just -20% year on year.
With April and May at minus 70% during the COVID-19 lockdown period, the results of a strong January and February (+13%) and a June bounce back of +9% have combined to deliver a strong first half performance during immensely challenging trading conditions.
Managing director Lee Jones, commenting on the figures, said:
The leasing broker market has shown remarkable resilience to be down only 20% at this point year-on-year. Brokers’ strong online presence and their distance selling expertise, plus their independence to sell all brands, has undoubtedly helped deliver these strong sales figures.
Jones added that two in three vehicles sold in Q2 were pre-registered funder tactical units carried over from Q1, which had proved highly popular thanks to a combination of keen pricing and the availability of stock.
June best sellers: Audi A4 and Vauxhall Vivaro
According to the procurement platform the best-selling cars through the system were:
- Audi A4
- Mercedes-Benz A-Class
- Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
Overall, Mercedes-Benz was the most popular brand, followed by Audi – accounting for 42% of broker car volume between them – followed by Land Rover with its Range Rover models.
Meanwhile the best-selling van was the Vauxhall Vivaro, the brand also proving the most popular LCV in June, ahead of Ford. Top of the CV charts were:
- Vauxhall Vivaro
- Nissan Navara
- Mitsubishi L200
Jones continued:
Consumer demand has certainly been evident. The challenge now is for such demand to continue through Q3 when there may be issues over stock availability and the potential lack of leasing company tactical deals as a result.
Recently Fleet Procure announced that the Bridle Group had joined the online procurement platform, boosting purchasing volumes to over 15,000 units.
Ralph Morton is the leading journalist in the leasing broker sector and editor of Broker News, the website which provides information and news for BVRLA-registered leasing brokers. He also writes extensively on the fleet and leasing market in both the UK and Europe.
