Demand for new commercial vehicles was up 8.1% in October, with growth prevailing across all segments, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA).
The EU recorded a total of 158,960 new registrations in the month, which counted on average the same number of working days as in October 2012. Italy was the only major market to shrink (-12.8%), while Germany (+2.4%), France (+4.3%), Spain (+25.7%) and the UK (27.2%) all expanded. Over ten months, France (-5.8%) and Germany (-5.9%) performed similarly, while demand fell more sharply in Italy (-15.7%) and increased in Spain (+4.3%) and the UK (+9.6%). Overall, the EU recorded a 2.7% downturn with 1,389,244 new registrations.
New Heavy Commercial Vehicles over 16t (excluding Buses & Coaches) – "heavy trucks"
New heavy truck registrations amounted to 23,519 units, or 16.5% more than in the same month a year ago. Germany (+3.1%), Spain (+5.9%), France (+10.5%) and the UK (+36.2%) contributed positively to the growth. Italy was the only major market to contract (-4.7%). Ten months into the year, the UK stood out as the only significant market to expand (+9.6%), while downturn prevailed elsewhere, ranging from -6.3% in France to -7.8% in Germany, -8.6% in Spain and -13.2% in Italy, leading to an overall 3.6% decline of the EU market. In total, 175,293 new heavy trucks were registered in the period.
New Commercial Vehicles over 3.5t (excluding Buses & Coaches) – "trucks"
In October, the EU recorded 29,695 new trucks, or 12.9% more than in the same month last year. Demand was sustained by most markets. Only Italy saw its new registrations fall (-7.8%), while results were positive in Germany (+1.7%), Spain (+5.2%), France (+7.9%) and the UK (+31.9%). From January to October, the UK was the only major market to expand (+4.7%). The French and German were down by 7.6%, the Spanish by 8.7% and the Italian by 16.4%, leading overall EU performance to -4.7% with a total of 231,933 new registrations.
New Light Commercial Vehicles up to 3.5t – "vans"
In October, the segment of vans posted a 6.8% growth, with most major markets expanding, from +1.7% in Germany to +3.6% in France, +26.3% in the UK and +31.8% in Spain. Italy was the only one to face a downturn (-14.3%). A total of 126,632 new vans was registered in the month. From January to October, results were diverse as Spain (+6.7%) and the UK (+11.0%) expanded, while Germany (-5.5%), France (-5.8%) and Italy (-16.0%) saw their demand for new vans decline. Overall, the EU market shrank by 2.4%, compared to the first ten months of last year, registering 1,131,206 new vehicles.
New Buses & Coaches over 3.5t
In October, new bus and coach registrations reached 2,633 units in the EU, or 23.3% more than in the same month last year. The largest markets all posted double-digit growth, from +20.9% in the UK to +21.1% in France, +32.8% in Spain, +44.6% in Italy and +60.2% in Germany. From January to October, the UK remained the biggest market, despite a 10% downturn, followed by France (+9.8%) and Germany (+8.1%). Italy performed better than in the same period last year (+2.6%), while Spain slipped by 4.2%. Overall, demand for new buses and coaches was stable in the EU (-0.6%), totaling 26,105 new registrations.