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Oct 2, 2012 10:33 AM

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.