EU demand for new commercial vehicles grew 8.2% in the first month of the year, totaling 173,614 units, and was mostly driven by the light commercial vehicle segment, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA).
The EU’s five largest markets all posted gains in January, with Spain (+23.8%), Italy (+11.4%) and France (+10.3%) recording the highest growth rates.
New heavy commercial vehicles (HCV) over 16 tonnes
January 2017 results show a modest, yet positive, uplift in the heavy truck segment (+3.9%), with 23,195 new vehicles registered. Most of the major EU markets contributed to this growth, especially Italy (+54.5%), France (+12.0%) and the UK (+8.8%), although the Spanish (-10.0%) and German (-5.9%) markets faced a downturn.
New medium and heavy commercial vehicles (MHCV) over 3.5 tonnes
In January 2017 trucks registrations were similar to the heavy truck segment, with three of the five largest EU markets posting growth over the month. Overall, 27,885 new trucks were registered in the European Union, 3.6% more than in January 2016.
New medium and heavy buses & coaches (MHBC) over 3.5 tonnes
January 2017 results of the bus and coach segment were diverse. France (‐17.2%) and Spain (-9.4%) saw demand fall, while Italy (+46.9%) and Germany (+13.5%) posted double‐digit growth. Overall, new bus and coach registrations grew modestly (+2.9%) across the region.
New light commercial vehicles (LCV) up to 3.5 tonnes
In January 2017, new registrations of vans totaled 142,864 units, 9.3% more than in January 2016. All major markets contributed positively to this upturn. Spain (+31.5%) and France (+10.3%) posted double‐digit gains, followed by Germany (+5.8%), Italy (+5.0%) and the United Kingdom (+1.2%).