EU heavy truck market still subdued

Demand for new commercial vehicles in Europe expanded for the twelfth consecutive month in August, but the heavy truck segment is still not in a healthy state.

According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), overall demand for commercial vehicles increased by 6.1 per in August, but the heavy-duty segment – a key indicator for heavy trailer sales – is still subdued.

While demand grew in Germany (+2.4 per cent) and Italy (+3.8 per cent), both France (-16.4 per cent) and the UK (-23.5 per cent) recorded a double-digit drop, leading to an overall 6.1 per cent downturn.

Over eight months, the region registered three per cent more vehicles than in the same period last year and counted 135,837 new heavy trucks. Looking at the major markets, France (-9.0 per cent) and the UK (-24.8 per cent) were less successful than in the first eight months of 2013, while the Italian (+12.8 per cent), German (+15.3 per cent) and Spanish (+32.5 per cent) markets expanded.

Taking into account all vehicle categories, all major markets expanded, except for France (-6.1 per cent), from 7.7 per cent in Germany to 10.5 per cent in Italy, 10.7 per cent in the UK and 17.6 per cent in Spain.

From January to August, 1,171,120 new commercial vehicles were registered, or 9.1 per cent more than in the same period last year. Looking at the largest markets, France remained stable (-1.0 per cent), while Germany expanded by 7.5 per cent. The UK (+12.8 per cent), Italy (+15.1 per cent) and Spain (+33.9 per cent) posted double-digit growths.