Jun 1, 2011 3:51 PM

New commercial vehicle registrations increased by 9.5% across the EU in April compared to the same month last year, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA).

Among the major markets, only France (-3.0%) and Spain (-14.3%) declined while Germany (+12.2%) and the UK expanded (+23.6%). From January to April, a total of 657,707 new vehicles were registered, or 13.5% more than over the same period a year ago. France (+7.7%) recorded the most vehicles (161,941 units), followed by the UK (104,190) and Germany (103,020) which grew by 28.6% and 25.5% respectively.

New Light Commercial Vehicles up to 3.5t – "vans"

In April, demand for new vans was up 4.6% in the EU, amounting to 127,814 units. Of the most significant markets, France (-6.6%) and Spain (-19.0%) faced a downturn, while new registrations increased in Germany (+5.1%) and the UK (+21.4%). Four months into the year, new van registrations totaled 543,030 units, or 8.9% more than in the first four months of 2010. France was the largest market and expanded by 4.5%. Germany (+18.9%) and the UK (+29.0%) both posted a double-digit growth, while Spain saw its market contract by 11.3%.

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

The EU recorded 20,581 new heavy trucks in April. All major markets posted strong growths, leading to an overall 52.4% upturn in the region. The British market expanded by 72.7%, followed by the Netherlands (+62.1%), France (+47.8%), Spain (+32.5%) and Germany (+31.5%). From January to April, 78,624 new trucks were registered in the EU, or 61.9% more than in the same period last year. Germany (+50.9%) was the biggest market, recording 19,860 units, while France (+62.8%) ranked second with 13,369 new vehicles. The Netherlands (+40.6%) and Spain (+40.7%) performed similarly. The UK saw its demand increase by 79.9%.

New Commercial Vehicles over 3.5t (excluding Buses & Coaches) – "trucks"< p>The segment of trucks totaled 27,338 new vehicles in the EU in April, posting a 42.4% increase compared to the same month a year earlier. Growth prevailed across countries, ranging from +56.7% in the Netherlands to +48.8% in the UK, +40.1% in France, +31.3% in Germany and +28.9% in Spain. Greece was the only country to record a downturn (-45.5%). Over the first four months, the most significant markets performed similarly as demand for new trucks grew by 36.2% in the Netherlands, 40.8% in Spain, 43.3% in the UK, 45.4% in Germany and 52.2% in France. Overall, new truck registrations increased by 48.7%, totaling 103,935 units.

New Buses & Coaches over 3.5t

The category of buses and coaches slipped by 0.3% in April  as the Spanish (+56.7%) and German (+14.4%) markets expanded while new registrations were down in France (-18.3%) and the UK (-10.7%). From January to April, the EU recorded 10,742 new buses and coaches, or 1.3% less than in the same period in 2010. The UK and France remained the largest markets despite a downturn of 28.2% and 13.6% respectively. The German market was stable (+0.5%), while the Spanish expanded by 66.4%.

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