The response of some van-makers to last year's collapse in demand would seem to be to turn away and weep. Others relish the challenge, and there are even whispers of signs of a recovery. Tim Blakemore reports.rnWhen the going gets tough, the first instinct of many van-makers is to run for cover, it would seem. Usually at this time of year van manufacturer sales and marketing departments are falling over themselves to highlight their latest achievements, as revealed by full-year registration statistics published by The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). This time around all leading manufacturers of light vans (up to 2.6 tonnes gvw), with the notable exceptions of Vauxhall and Volkswagen, appear to have taken vows of silence. Why have the likes of Ford, Citroen, Fiat, Peugeot, Renault, Nissan and LDV chosen to say not a word in public about their 2008 sales figures? Yes, sales are down, but that is hardly surprising amid all the financial and economic mayhem of the past 12 months. And as our tables show, van sales overall have not been hit as hard as car sales. The SMMT, preoccupied with government negotiations over a motor industry rescue package, struggled a little this year to confirm individual make and model sales figures for vans up to 1.8 tonnes and from 1.8 to 2.6 tonnes, and we were unable to verify last year's figures. This is why the 2007 and percentage change columns in these tables are blank, apart from the totals.
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