Registrations of new commercial vehicles in Europe amounted to 1,001,579 units in the first two quarters of 2011, or 13.5% more than the same period of 2010, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).
Spain was the only major market to decline (-8.4%) while France (+8.5%), the UK (+23.8%) and Germany (+24.5%) all saw their markets expand.
Demand for new commercial vehicles was up 1.5% in June, compared to the same month a year ago. In total, 165,767 new vehicles were recorded in the EU. While the UK (+12.8%) and Germany (+8.7%) posted growth, Spain (-12.7%) and France (-6.8%) performed less well.
New Light Commercial Vehicles up to 3.5t – “vans”
In June, 136,888 new vans were registered in the EU, or 1.3% less than in the same month last year. Results were diverse across major markets as France (-10.3%) and Spain (-15.2%) faced a downturn, while Germany (+8.7%) and the UK (+13.5%) posted growth. In the first half-year, most vans were registered in France (222,722 units). The UK (133,238 units) and Germany (110,306 units) were the next most significant markets. All three expanded by 5.1%, 24.2% and 19.9% respectively. Spain was the only major market to contract (13.3%). Overall, the EU recorded 826,268 new vans or 9.4% more than in the first six months of 2010.
New Heavy Commercial Vehicles over 16t (excluding Buses & Coaches) – “heavy trucks”
New registrations of heavy trucks in June amounted to 19,528 units across the EU, or 30.5% more than in June last year. All major markets posted growth, ranging from +12.2% in Germany to +17.3% in Spain, +34.2% in the UK and 41.9% in France. From January to June, the EU recorded 119,745 new heavy trucks, or 55.9% more than in the same period a year earlier. Registrations were up in all markets, except Greece (-53.0%), increasing by 37.2% in Spain, 42.8% in Germany, 62.3% in France and 64.0% in the UK.
New Commercial Vehicles over 3.5t (excluding Buses & Coaches) – “trucks”
June results in the segment of trucks showed a 21.3% upturn, with a total of 26,187 new vehicles registered in the EU. Germany (+9.8%), Spain (+14.4%), the UK (+18.1%) and France (+35.4%) all posted growth. Six months into the year, all significant markets expanded, leading to an overall 43.6% increase of new truck registrations in the region. France saw its demand for new trucks rise by 52.2%, Germany by 38.1%, the UK by 36.4% and Spain by 35.9%. In total, 158,947 new vehicles were recorded in the EU.