ACEA COMMERCIAL VEHICLE registrations: -10.3% over eight months; -12.4% in August Freitag, 28. September 2012 - 08:05

COMMERCIAL VEHICLE registrations: -10.3% over eight months; -12.4% in August

Brussels, 28/09/2012- In July, demand for new commercial vehicles was down 5.1% in the EU*, following the downward trend commenced in January. While the French (+0.7%) and British (+8.5%) markets expanded, Germany (-2.9%), Spain (-21.4%) and Italy (-28.4%) all recorded negative results. In August, demand further declined (-12.4%), totaling 102,877 units, as downturn prevailed across the major markets, ranging from -6.0% in Germany to -11.5% in the UK, -15.5% in France, -25.0% in Spain and -27.2% in Italy. From January to August, the EU* recorded 1,131,238 new vehicles, or 10.3% less than in the same period a year earlier. Germany (-2.5%), the UK (-4.0%), France (-7.0%), Spain (-24.9%) and Italy (-35.3%) all saw their markets contract.

New Light Commercial Vehicles up to 3.5t – “vans”

In July, 109,698 new vans were registered in the EU*, or 4.8% less than in the same month a year ago. France (+1.2%) and the UK (+10.2%) performed better, while Germany (-0.4%), Spain (-21.8%) and Italy (-28.8%) saw demand for new vans drop. In August, new van registrations fell by 13.5%, resulting from the negative figures recorded in Germany (-4.4%), the UK (-12.5%), France (-16.9%), Spain (-24.5%) and Italy (-25.7%). In total, 80,814 new vans were registered in the EU*. Eight months into the year, demand for new vans decreased by 11.5%, totaling 916,981 units. Germany (-1.2%), France (-7.4%), the UK (-8.1%), Spain (-25.0%) and Italy (-36.0%) were all affected by the downturn.

New Heavy Commercial Vehicles over 16t (excluding Buses & Coaches) – “heavy trucks”

In July, the segment of heavy trucks went down by 7.3%, amounting to 17,336 new registrations. All significant markets contracted, from -6.8% in Germany to -8.4% in France, -10.4% in the UK, -12.3% in Spain and -24.3% in Italy. In August, markets contracted more severely, leading to an overall 9.7% downturn. Looking at the most significant ones, only the UK posted a slight growth (+0.7%), while Germany (-10.8%), France (-14.0%), Spain (-17.8%) and Italy (-36.8%) faced a double-digit downturn. From January to August, the EU* registered 143,830 new heavy trucks, or 6.7% less than in the first eight months of 2011. The UK recorded positive results (+8.3%), while Germany (-4.4%) and France (-5.7%) performed less well than last year. The Spanish (-20%) and Italian (-29.3%) markets experienced a harsher contraction.

New Commercial Vehicles over 3.5t (excluding Buses & Coaches) – “trucks”

Truck registrations in July amounted to 23,294 units, or 7.5% less than in July 2011. All major markets shrank, from -4.2% in France to -6.8% in the UK, -8.9% in Germany, -13.8% in Spain and -24.4% in Italy. In August, the decrease was more important, reaching -9.8% with a total of 19,042 new trucks registered in the EU*. Downturn prevailed in the region, ranging from -3.5% in the UK to -10.6% in Germany, -13.3% in France, -21.2% in Spain and -31.2% in Italy. Over eight months, performances were diverse across countries, resulting in an overall 6.2% contraction of the EU* market. The UK registered 14.9% more trucks than in the same period last year, while France (-4.1%), Germany (-5.9%), Spain (-21.2%) and Italy (-30.2%) all saw their markets decline.

New Buses & Coaches over 3.5t

The segment of buses and coaches was the only one to expand, both in July (+3.7%) and August (+5.6%). Demand was sustained in July by mainly France (+8.3%) and the UK (+82.5%), and in August by France (+10.9%) and Germany (+11.9%). Results from January to August show a 56.8% growth in the UK and a 6.7% increase in Germany, while France declined by 3.6%. Italy (-32.5%) and Spain (-42.4%) faced a sharper downturn.

* Data for Malta unavailable