Commercial vehicle registrations: +11.7% over 11 months; +13.2% in November

Total new commercial vehicles

In November 2016, demand for new commercial vehicles in the EU increased significantly (+13.2%) to 203,799 units, following a decline in the preceding month. Growth was sustained across all segments and all major markets. The Italian market posted the highest increase (+70.2%), followed by France (+15.0%), Spain (+14.2%), the UK (+3.7%) and Germany (+1.8%).

Eleven months into 2016, new registrations in the European Union remained positive (+11.7%), totalling more than 2.1 million vehicles. During that period, Italy (+44.2%), Spain (+11.1%), France (+8.9%), Germany (+7.4%), and the United Kingdom (+2.2%) all posted growth.

New light commercial vehicles (LCV) up to 3.5 tonnes

In November 2016, EU demand for light commercial vehicles grew considerably (+13.5%) after an October slowdown, totalling 168,667 units. Demand was mainly driven by Italy (+66.0%), France (+16.1%) and Spain (+11.9%), while the British (+2.5%) and German (+2.1%) markets only saw modest increases.

From January to November 2016, 1,741,498 new vans were registered in the EU, 12.1% more than in the same period a year ago. Italy (+44.8%), Spain (+10.9%), Germany (+8.9%), France (+8.7%) and the UK (+2.1%) all contributed to this positive upturn over the first 11 months of 2016.

New heavy commercial vehicles (HCV) over 16 tonnes

In November, registrations of new heavy commercial vehicle increased substantially (+12.1%) compared to November last year, totalling 25,156 units. Among the big five markets, Italy (+90.7%), Spain (+25.1%) and France (+14.4%) registered the highest growth rates, while demand for new HCVs in Germany (-1.2%) dropped slightly.

Eleven months into the year, demand for new heavy trucks continued to increase (+11.9%), with 267,987 new vehicles being registered in the EU. All major markets made a positive contribution to the overall upturn, especially the Italian (+41.9%) and French (+13.6%) ones with their double-digit increases.

New medium and heavy commercial vehicles (MHCV) over 3.5 tonnes

In November 2016, new truck registrations were up 12.8% compared to November last year. Overall, 31,555 new trucks were registered in the European Union. Among the major markets, results for trucks were similar to those of the heavy truck segment. Italian registrations more than doubled (+105.2%) in November, as the government stimulates fleet renewal (since last September). Spain (+23.0%), France (+15.0%) and the UK (+11.7%) also posted strong gains.

So far in 2016, 334,460 new trucks were registered in the EU, 10.9% more than in the same period last year. Italy (+43.7%), France (+13.4%) and Spain (+11.0%) made particularly significant contributions to this.

New medium and heavy buses & coaches (MHBC) over 3.5 tonnes

In November 2016, new registrations in the bus and coach segment increased slightly (+0.4%) after they had been declining for five consecutive months, now totalling 3,577 units. Growth was mainly driven by Italy (+159.8%) and Spain (+91.7%), while France (-35.8%) and Germany (-3.5%) performed less well than in November 2015.

Over 11 months in 2016, the EU market for buses and coaches showed a modest increase (+2.0%), counting 36,170 new vehicles. During this period, most growth came from Spain (+21.9%), Italy (+12.7%) and Germany (+10.8%), while France (-8.6%) saw demand decline.