COMMERCIAL VEHICLE registrations: -10.7% over nine months; -13.7% in September

Brussels, 26/10/2012 - In September, a total of 150,910 new commercial vehicles were registered in the EU*, which is 13.7% less than in the same month last year. Downturn prevailed across markets, ranging from -3.2% in Ireland to -51.2% in Greece. Looking at the largest markets, the UK was the only one to expand (+0.7%) while France (-13.4%), Germany (-16.6%), Italy (-28.2%) and Spain (-32.7%) all contracted. From January to September, demand for commercial vehicles was down by 10.7%, with 1,282,248 new registrations. All major markets recorded negative figures: -3.1% in the UK, -4.2% in Germany, -7.7% in France, -25.7% in Spain, -34.6% in Italy.

New Light Commercial Vehicles up to 3.5t – “vans”

In September, demand for new vans declined across the EU*, except in Slovakia (+9.5%) and the UK (+1.1%), resulting in an overall 13.5% decrease. France (-12.4%), Germany (-14.6%), Italy (-27.6%) and Spain (-34.3%) all faced a double digit downturn. In total, the region counted 123,938 new vans in the month. From January to September, 1,041,028 new vans were registered in the EU*, or 11.7% less than in the first nine months of 2011. Looking at the most important markets, Germany (-2.8%), France (-8.0%), the UK (-6.3%), Spain (-25.9%) and Italy (-35.2%) all performed less well than last year.

New Heavy Commercial Vehicles over 16t (excluding Buses & Coaches) – “heavy trucks”

In September, the EU* recorded 18,529 new heavy trucks, or 14.8% less than in September 2011. All significant markets contracted, from -6.7% in the UK to -18.6% in France, -22.9% in Germany, -28.6% in Spain and -33.8% in Italy. Nine months into the year, the decline was 7.7%, with a total of 162,355 new registrations. The UK was the only major market to expand (+5.9%), while the German (-6.7%), French (-7.2%), Spanish (-21.0%) and Italian (-29.7%) declined.

New Commercial Vehicles over 3.5t (excluding Buses & Coaches) – “trucks”

The segment of trucks recorded the sharpest downturn in September (-15.7%), with 24,217 new registrations in the EU*. The UK (-7.3%), France (-19.7%), Germany (-20.4%), Spain (-30.6%) and Italy (-34.1%) all saw their market contract. In the first three quarters of the year, demand for new trucks in the EU* fell by 7.3%, amounting to 217,104 units. While the UK posted growth (+11.3%), France (-5.8%) and Germany (-7.7%) similarly shrank, and Spain (-22.3%) and Italy (-30.5%) faced more severe contractions.

New Buses & Coaches over 3.5t

September results in the segment of buses and coaches were diverse across countries, leading to an overall 5.5% contraction of the EU* market. While the UK (+43.3%) and Spain (+5.3%) performed better than in the same month last year, France (-22.7%), Germany (-26.3%) and Italy (-26.6%) experienced a double-digit downturn. From January to September, the segment of buses and coaches was the only one to grow (+3.7%), mainly sustained by demand in the UK (+55.0%) and Germany (+2.2%), while the French (-6.4%), Italian (-31.9%) and Spanish (-37.0%) markets contracted.

* Data for Malta unavailable