Demand for new commercial vehicles in the EU increased substantially in August 2016, marking the 20th consecutive month of growth, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).
According to ACEA, the growth in demand of 31.8 per cent was predominantly due to a 'strong uplift' in the van segment, and the fact that growth was sustained across all major markets, especially in Italy (+105.9 per cent), Germany (+42.6 per cent), Spain (+19.5 per cent), and France (+16.8 per cent).
Overall, 150,425 new commercial vehicles were registered in the EU during August. In the year so far, the EU market expanded by 14.3 per cent, totaling about 1.5 million commercial vehicles.
The heavy truck segment above 16 tonnes – a key indicator for trailer sales – showed a double-digit increase in registrations of new heavy trucks (+18.0 per cent), which totalled 18,307 units. Italy (+58.1 per cent) and Spain (+25.3 per cent) largely contributed to this growth, followed by France (+17.4 per cent), Germany (+13.7 per cent) and the United Kingdom (+2.4 per cent).
Eight months into the year, the EU market continued to grow (+15.7%), reaching a total of 189,462 heavy trucks registered. Italy (+37.8%), France (+17.0%), Spain (+8.7%), Germany (+8.3%) and the UK (+4.2%) all saw demand increase, contributing to the overall upturn of the EU market over the period.