Commercial vehicle registrations: -10.8% in first half-year; -5.8% in June

Italy (-29.8%) and Spain (-28.7%) faced a double-digit downturn, while France (-0.8%) and the UK (+0.2%) remained relatively stable. Germany was the only major market to post growth (+8.8%). From January to June, demand was down 10.8%, compared to the first half-year of 2011, amounting to 892,850 units. Decline prevailed in all major markets, from -1.9% in Germany to -5.1% in the UK, -7.2% in France, -25.5% in Spain and -37% in Italy.

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

In June, 128,871 new vans were registered in the EU*, or 6.5% less than in the same month last year. Germany was the only significant market to post growth (+12.3%), while all others contracted. The French shrank by 0.8%, the British by 2.5%, the Italian by 30.3% and the Spanish by 30.9%. Six months into the year, results were negative across major markets, leading to an overall 12.2% downturn. Germany saw its demand go down 0.8%, France 7.6%, the UK 10.1%, Spain 25.5% and Italy 37.8%. In total, the EU recorded 726,284 new vehicles.

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

In June, the heavy truck segment shrank by 4.6%, totaling 19,012 units. Germany (+2.5%) and the UK (+1.6%) saw their markets expand, while France (-5.8%), Spain (-11.3%) and Italy (-33.7%) performed less well than in the same month a year ago. In the first half-year, the EU* registered 112,762 new trucks, or 6.1% less than in the first six months of 2011. The UK was the only important market to post growth (+12.7%). Germany (-3.0%) and France (-4.6%) contracted, while Spain (-21.4%) and Italy (-28.9%) faced a more severe downturn.

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

Demand for new trucks was down 4.1% in June, with 25,459 new registrations in the EU*. The UK (+6.6%) was the only market to perform better than in the same month last year. Germany performed somewhat similarly (-0.8%), while France (-3.3%), Spain (-12.3%) and Italy (-26.0%) recorded negative results. Six months into the year, the EU* totaled 150,568 new trucks, or 5.5% less than in the same period a year earlier. While the UK posted a strong 21.5% growth, the French (-3.2%), German (4.7%), Spanish (22.4%) and Italian (-30.9%) markets all shrunk.

New Buses & Coaches over 3.5t

In June, new bus and coach registrations increased by 16.5%, boosted by the good performance recorded in the UK (+97.9%), Germany (+39.0%) and France (+24.5%). The Spanish (-15.4%) and Italian (-21.5%) markets declined. From January to June, the segment of buses and coaches was the only one to expand (+5.2%), driven by the upturn in the UK (+67.2%) and Germany (+7.1%). Results in France (-11.8%), Italy (-30.0%) and Spain (-38.8%) were negative.