Demand for new commercial vehicles was down 5.1% in the European Union during July, continuing a trend that began in January, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association.
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 3.5 tons) fell 13.5% in August: down -4.4% in Germany, 12.5% in the United Kingdom, -16.9% in France, -24.5% in Spain, and 25.7% in Italy. In total, 80,814 new vans were registered in the EU*. Eight months into the year, demand for new vans decreased by 11.5%.
New heavy trucks (over 16 tons) in July went down by 7.3%. Markets continued to contract in August with an additional overall 9.7% downturn. 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.
Medium duty trucks (over 3.5 tons) amounted to 23,294 units in July, 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 even sharper, down 9.8%. A total of 19,042 new trucks were registered in the EU for the month. 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.