EU Commercial Vehicle Registrations Up 6% in August

Sept. 29, 2014
The EU market of new commercial vehicles expanded for the twelfth consecutive month in August.

The EU market of new commercial vehicles expanded for the twelfth consecutive month in August, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA). Demand increased by 6.1%, totaling 104,686 units.

Growth prevailed in the segment of vans, while the truck and buses and coaches segments declined. All major markets expanded, except for France (-6.1%), from 7.7% in Germany to 10.5% in Italy, 10.7% in the UK and 17.6% in Spain. From January to August, 1,171,120 new commercial vehicles were registered, or 9.1% more than in the same period last year. Looking at the largest markets, France remained stable (-1.0%), while Germany expanded by 7.5%. The UK (+12.8%), Italy (+15.1%) and Spain (+33.9%) posted double-digit growths.

New Heavy Commercial Vehicles over 16t (excluding buses and coaches) – 'heavy trucks'
In August the same growth pattern could be observed for Germany (+2.4%) and Italy (+3.8%), while a consistent decrease in France (-16.4%) and the UK (-23.5%) was recorded, leading to an overall 6.1% downturn. Over eight months, the region registered 3.0% more vehicles than in the same period last year and counted 135,837 new heavy trucks. Looking at the major markets, France (-9.0%) and the UK (-24.8%) performed less well than in the first eight months of 2013, while the Italian (+12.8%), German (+15.3%) and Spanish (+32.5%) markets expanded.

New Commercial Vehicles over 3.5t (excluding buses and coaches) – 'trucks'

In August a majority of major markets registered a drop in truck registrations, from -4.4% in Germany to -15.4% in France and -20.8% in the UK. The Italian market expanded (+4.2%), while the Spanish remained stable (+0.7%). From January to August, France (-10.2%) and the UK (-23.9%) faced a downturn, while demand was up in Italy (+3.4%), Germany (+6.7%) and Spain (+27.2%), leading to a stable situation in the whole region (-0.4%). In total, 175,604 new trucks were registered in the EU in the first eight months.

New Light Commercial Vehicles up to 3.5t – 'vans'
In August all major markets expanded, except for France (-3.5%), from 11.5% in Italy to 13.4% in Germany, 19.3% in Spain and 22.3% in the UK, leading to an overall 10.2% upturn. From January to August, the EU market of vans increase by 11.1%, compared to the first eight months of 2013, mainly affected by the significant growth recorded in the Italian (+16.9%), UK (+19.1%) and Spanish (+35.2%) markets. France remained stable (+0.3%), while Germany expanded by 7.9%. New van registrations in the EU totaled 974,215 units over the period.

New buses and coaches over 3.5t
August results were down 12.7% compared to August 2013, with diverse results in the major markets. France (-28.5%), Germany (-19.7%) and the UK (-54.0%) declined, while Italy and Spain grew (+27.9% and + 70.9% respectively). From January to August, Spain was the largest market (+9.3%), followed by Germany (+3.5%) and Italy (+1.4%). Overall, the EU* recorded 21,301 new buses and coaches, or 4.6% more than in the first eight months of 2013.