Positive performance for EU commercial vehicle registrations

European commercial vehicle registrations posted growth after slowing down in September, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).

Demand reportedly increased by 6.9 per cent in November, with all vehicle segments performing positively.

Except for Italy (-13.2 per cent), all major EU markets recorded growth. Germany saw the strongest increase (+16.9 per cent), followed by the UK (+10.9 per cent), France (+7.3 per cent) and Spain (+1.7 per cent).

Over the first 10 months of 2018 growth was positive (+3.9 per cent), counting more than two million new commercial vehicles registered across the European Union (EU). Spain posted the highest growth rate (+7.9 per cent), followed by France (+5.4 per cent) and Germany (+5.4 per cent). By contrast, demand fell in Italy (-2.2 per cent) and the UK (-2.2 per cent) during the same period.

In October 2018, EU demand for light commercial vehicles up to 3.5-tonne increased by 6.0 per cent, almost entirely compensating for the losses in September. All five major markets – with the exception of Italy (-16.6 per cent) – saw registrations rise substantially, especially Germany (+15.0 per cent) and the UK (+14.1 per cent).

From January to October 2018, demand for vans increased by 3.7 per cent compared to 2017, totalling 1.7 million units registered. Looking at the biggest EU markets, Spain (+8.8 per cent), Germany (+6.2 per cent) and France (+5.0 per cent) continued to drive growth, while Italy (-4.5 per cent) and the UK (-1.6 per cent) performed worse than one year ago.

October 2018 registrations of heavy trucks of 16 tonnes and over saw a strong increase, with 7.7 per cent more vehicles sold across the European Union. Results were diverse among the five key EU markets: demand fell again in Spain (-7.3 per cent) and the UK (-9.9 per cent), but heavy truck registrations increased significantly in Germany (+18.6 per cent), France (+13.8 per cent) and Italy (+6.8 per cent).

Ten months into the year, demand for heavy trucks is still strong, with 263,356 new vehicles registered so far this year – up 5.1 per cent compared to 2017. The UK (-7.4 per cent) was the only major market to post a decline, while Italy (+11.5 per cent), France (+10.2 per cent), Germany (+3.8 per cent) and Spain (+0.6 per cent) all contributed positively to EU growth.

In October 2018, new truck registrations for medium and heavy duty vehicles over 3.5 tonnes in the EU posted the biggest increase since April this year (+9.6 per cent). Growth was largely driven by Germany (+21.5 per cent), France (+12.1 per cent) and Italy (+10.9 per cent), all of which posted double-digit gains, while demand contracted in the UK (-6.4 per cent) and Spain (-5.2 per cent).

Over the first 10 months of the year, EU demand for new trucks went up by 5.0 per cent to reach 323,107 units. Italy (+10.2 per cent), France (+9.1 per cent), Germany (+3.5 per cent) and Spain (+2.1 per cent) performed well, but new truck registrations declined in the UK (-5.1 per cent) so far this year.

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