AFTER a fizzing start to 2002, sales of vans up to 3.5-tonnes fell by 5.5% in March.

Year-to-date figures show panel van sales still up on last year, although car-derived vans fell from a total of 10,079 last year to 9,200.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers said the days over Easter, in which registration figures were not processed, may have had some effect.

In the panel van sector, Citroen, Fiat, Ford, Iveco, LDV, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota all saw falls, while Vauxhall and Renault saw rises - due no doubt to the influence of the new Vivaro/Trafic - while Mitsubishi saw an astronomical rise this month from 425 to 1,276.

In the car-derived sector, Citroen, Fiat, Ford and Renault sales fell while Vauxhall, Suzuki and Volkswagen rose.