In November, commercial vehicle registrations across the European Union (EU) showed positive growth (+2.5 per cent), albeit at a slower paced compared to October, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).
Demand was mainly sustained by the light commercial vehicle and heavy truck segments. Among the five big markets, Spain (+15.3 per cent), France (+9.2 per cent) and Germany (+6.1 per cent) performed very well, while the UK (-11.8 per cent) and the Italian (-10 per cent) markets had weaker results compared to November last year.
From January to November 2017, demand for new commercial vehicles remained positive in the EU, with almost 2.2 million new vehicles registered ¬– up 3.9 per cent compared to last year. Spain continued to drive growth (+15.1 per cent), followed by France (+7.8 per cent) and Germany (+3.6 per cent). On the other hand, UK demand fell (-4.6 per cent) over this period.
November results show a modest increase (+3.3 per cent) in EU demand for vans compared to one year ago. Results were diverse among the major EU markers, with Spain (+18.4 per cent), Germany (+8.5 per cent) and France (+6.2 per cent) contributing positively to last month’s growth, while demand contracted in both the UK (-11.1 per cent) and Italy (-9.4 per cent).
Eleven months into the year, more than 1.8 million new vans were registered across the EU, up 4.5 per cent compared to the same period in 2016. Spain (+17.4 per cent), France (+8.3 per cent) and Germany (+5.2 per cent) maintained momentum, while demand for light commercial vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes declined in the UK (-4.1 per cent) an Italy (-0.7 per cent).
In November, demand for new heavy commercial vehicles of 16 tonnes and over grew by 2.2 per cent to the month last year, with 26,727 units registered. Results were reportedly diverse across the give big EU markets, with registrations falling in the UK (-18.3 per cent), Italy (-4.1 per cent) and Spain (-1 per cent), while demand strongly increased in Germany (+16.2 per cent) and France (+14.3 per cent).
So far in 2017, the heavy commercial vehicle market posted a modest increase (+1.1 per cent), counting 273,839 new vehicle registrations. The Italian market saw the strongest gains (+11.4 per cent), followed by France (+6.8 per cent). Demand for heavy commercial vehicles remained relatively stable in Spain (-0.2 per cent) and declined in the UK (-6.0 per cent).
November 2017 registrations of new medium and heavy commercial vehicles over 3.5 tonnes were stable compared to November last year, totalling 32,787 new units. Truck demand declined in the UK (-14.0 per cent) and Italy (-13.5 per cent), while it increased in Germany (+6.3 per cent).
From January to November 2017, 337,827 new trucks were registered in the EU – a stable performance (+0.3 per cent) when compared to 2016’s results. Italy (+7.5 per cent) and France (+6.5 per cent) did well so far in 2017, but truck registrations decreased in the UK and Germany (-5.6 per cent and -0.5 per cent respectively).