In September 2017, commercial vehicle registrations across Europe remained stable (+0.6 per cent) compared to last year, according to new data published by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).
The ACEA has reported that over nine months in 2017, demand for new commercial vehicles remained positive in the European Union (EU), with almost 1.8 million new vehicles registered – up 3.3 per cent. Spain continued to drive growth (+14.4 per cent), followed by France (+6.5 per cent), Germany (+2.2 per cent) and Italy (+1.6 per cent). Commercial vehicle registrations in the UK, however, have reportedly declined by 3.3 per cent so far.
September 2017 results for new light commercial vehicles of up to 3.5 tonnes have shown a slight acceleration (+2.1 per cent) in the EU with demand for vans compared to August (+0.1 per cent). The Spanish and German markets recorded the strongest gains (+10.9 per cent and +9.9 per cent respectively). Meanwhile, light commercial vehicle demand dropped in the UK (-4.2 per cent) and in Italy (-1.3 per cent).
Nine months into the year, 1,479,060 million new light commercial vehicles were registered across the region, up 4 per cent compared to the same period in 2016. Spain (+16.4 per cent), France (+7.1 per cent) and Germany (+3.5 per cent) contributed positively to the EU’s performance whereas the UK (-3.1 per cent) was the only major market to post a decline.
In September 2017, demand for heavy commercial vehicles of 16 tonnes and over had declined by 6.3 per cent to 25,598 vehicles. Almost all major European markets had reportedly posted declines, especially the UK (-19.4 per cent) and Spain (-11.8 per cent). The only exception was Italy, where registrations went up by 1.2 per cent when compared to September last year.
The heavy commercial vehicle market has increased (+0.4 per cent), totalling 218,489 new heavy trucks registered. Italy saw the highest growth (+14.8 per cent), followed by France (+4.2 per cent) and demand remaining relatively stable in Germany (-0.5 per cent) and Spain (-0.02 per cent).
September 2017 new truck registrations for new medium and heavy commercial vehicles over 3.5 tonnes were lower than in September 2016. The ACEA has said this is mostly the result of significant declines in all five big EU markets. 31,109 vehicles were registered in total, down 6.5 per cent compared to last September.
From January to September 2017, 270,609 new trucks were registered in the EU, which the ACEA has said is a “stable result compared to last year”.