New commercial vehicle registrations fell 4.8% in June with a total of 149,996 units recorded in the EU, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA).
All segments were down, from -4.2% for vans to -14% for buses and coaches. Looking at the major markets, Spain (+14.7%) and the UK (+3.7%) expanded in June, while Germany
(-7.1%), France (-9.3%) and Italy (-13.1%) faced a downturn.
Over the first six months of the year,demand for new commercial vehicles reached 832,093 units, or 6.9% less than in the first half-year of 2012. The UK was the only market to post growth (+7.2%), while downturn ranged from -6.0% in Spain to -9.4% in France, -10.2% in Germany and -19.5% in Italy.
New Heavy Commercial Vehicles over 16t (excluding Buses & Coaches) – "heavy trucks"
Demand for new heavy trucks decreased by 5.8%, totaling 17,970 units. The UK stood out as the only major market to perform better than in June last year (+23.1%), while all other significant markets experienced double-digit drops ranging from -10.4% in Germany to -13.4% in France, -20.1% in Italy and -21.9% in Spain. From January to June,100,456 new heavy trucks were registered in the EU, or 11.3% less than in the first semester of 2012. All major markets contracted, from -6.3% in the UK to -12.1% in Italy, -13.3% both in France and Germany, and -18.4% in Spain.
New Commercial Vehicles over 3.5t (excluding Buses & Coaches) – "trucks"
The segment of trucks was down by 6.6%, with 23,780 new registrations in the EU. While the UK performed better than in June last year (+15.5%), Germany (-7.5%), France (-16.5%), Spain (-22.1%) and Italy (-26.8%) all saw their markets shrink. In the first semester, downturn prevailed across major markets, with contraction reaching -8.8% in the UK, -13.2% in Germany, -13.5% in France, -16.1% in Italy and -18.3% in Spain. Overall, the EU market declined by 11.5%, recording 132,900 new trucks over six months.
New Buses & Coaches over 3.5t
The segment of buses and coaches showed negative results across major markets, resulting in an overall 13.8% drop in new registrations. While France slipped by 1.3%, the decline was more severe in Germany (-16.4%), the UK (-32.0%), Spain (-44.9%) and Italy (-45.9%). Six months into the year,France was the only country to post growth (+9.2%). The shrinking of the German (-4.6%), Italian (-8.5%), Spanish (-20.2%) and UK (-21.4%) markets led to an overall 8.1% downturn, which counted in total 14,694 new buses and coaches.
New Light Commercial Vehicles up to 3.5t – "vans"
New van registrations amounted to 123,720 units, which is 4.2% less than in the same month last year. Spain (+21.9%) and the UK (+3.4%) saw their demand for vans increase, while Germany (-6.7%), France (-8.6%) and Italy (-10.9%) registered fewer vehicles than in June 2012. In the first half-year,the UK was the only market to expand (+11.2%). Spain recorded a 3.8% decline, while Germany (-9.0%) and France (-9.1%) performed similarly, and Italy faced a double-digit downturn, leading to an overall 5.9% decrease in the EU. The region counted in total 684,499 new vans six months into the year.