New registrations for commercial vehicles in the EU increased by 5.4% in July and 10.1% in August, with growth in all segments except buses and coaches, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA).
Eight months into the year, new commercial vehicle registrations amounted to 1,129,166 units, or 4.9% more than over the same period a year ago. Compared to the pre-crisis levels of 2008, cumulative results over January-August were still down by 35%.
In July, the segment of vans expanded by 5.3%, totaling 116,371 new units. Of the major markets, Italy (-3.7%) and Spain (-9.7%) contracted, while Germany (+6.4%), France (+13.3%) and the UK (+25.2%) all posted growth. In August, Spain was the only significant market to record a decrease (-12.4%). Elsewhere, growth ranged from +3.9% (Italy) to 11.4% (France), 12.6% (Germany) and 15.5% (UK). Overall, the EU recorded a growth of 8.5%.
From January to August, the EU registered 956,413 new vans, or 7.7% more than over the same period last year. The UK recorded a 16.8% increase, followed by Spain (+15.9%). France (10.9%), Germany (+11.4%) and Italy (+11.6%) performed similarly.
In July, 14,051 new heavy trucks were registered in the EU, or 18.2% more than in July 2009. France was the only important market with a decrease (-3.3%). Germany recorded the largest growth rate (+34.8%) among the biggest markets, followed by the UK (+12.4%), Italy (+11.5%) and Spain (+10.9%).
The month of August saw positive results in the majority of countries, including major ones. Germany (+54.4%), Spain (+45.5%) and Italy (+40.5%) performed better than in the same month last year, as did the UK (+17.4%) and France (+12.2%).
Eight months into the year, the market of heavy trucks contracted by 9.1%. Of the most significant markets, only Spain (+12.1%) and Germany (4.1%) posted growth, while Italy (-12.5%), the UK (-13.7%) and France (-20.0%) were down.
In July, the segment of trucks was up 11.9% with contrasting results across countries. Germany recorded a double-digit growth (+25.7%), while France registered a 4.0% downturn. The Italian market was stable (-0.7%), while growth was recorded in Spain (+9.9%) and the UK (+9.1%). In total, 20,867 new trucks were registered in the month. In August, all major markets posted growth, ranging from 5.7% in the UK to 6.5% in France, 28.4% in Italy, 30.8% in Spain and 37.0% in Germany, resulting in an overall 23.7% upturn in the EU. Cumulative results from January to August showed a 7.4% decrease with a total of 151,072 trucks registered.