Commercial vehicle registrations: +13.0% over four months; +12.2% in April
Brussels, 27 May 2015 – In April 2015, demand for new commercial vehicles in the EU continued to expand (+12.2%), totalling 169,746 units
Total new Commercial Vehicles

In April 2015, demand for new commercial vehicles in the EU continued to expand (+12.2%), totalling 169,746 units. Growth was sustained across all commercial vehicle segments. The UK (+22.8%) and Spain (+18.5%) posted double‐digit growth, followed by Italy (+9.0%), Germany (+7.0%) and France (+1.4%), which also saw their demand increase, contributing to the overall expansion.
Four months into the year, the EU market expanded by 13.0%, totalling 671,701 commercial vehicles. Over the period, Spain (+35.2%), the UK (+23.9%) Italy (+7.6%) and Germany (+7.1%) all posted growth, while France remained stable (+0.01%).
New Light Commercial Vehicles up to 3.5t – vans

In April 2015, new registrations of light commercial vehicles totalled 139,598 units, up 11.8% compared to April 2014. This marked the twentieth consecutive month of growth in this segment. The UK (+20.9%), Spain (+17.6%), Germany (+11.9%) and Italy (+8.8%) contributed positively to the upturn, while France was only major market to record a slight decline (‐0.3%).
From January to April 2015, 558,419 new vans were registered in the EU, or 13.1% more than in the same period last year. All major markets saw their demand for vans increase over this period, especially Spain (+36.2%), the UK (+22.0%) and Germany (+10.9%) which posted double‐digit growth.
New Heavy Commercial Vehicles over 16t (excluding Heavy Buses & Coaches) – heavy trucks

April 2015 results showed a 20.8% increase in new heavy truck registrations, totalling 21,543 units. This positive outcome was mainly sustained by the significant growth recorded in the UK (+79.2%), Spain (+38.6%) and France (+24.1%). Noteworthy was the contribution of the new EU member states (+32.2%) to last month’s positive outcome.
Four months into the year, the EU market grew by 17.0%, reaching 82,039 units. The UK (+70.6%), Spain (+26.7%), Italy (+12.1%) and Germany (+2.3%) saw their demand for heavy trucks increase, while the French market remained stable (+0.3%). The impressive growth recorded in the Netherlands (+105.8%) persisted during this period.
New Medium & Heavy Commercial Vehicles over 3.5t (excluding Buses & Coaches) – trucks

In April 2015, 26,883 new trucks were registered in the EU, up 15.0% compared to April 2014. Among major markets the UK (+52.3%), Spain (+25.7%) and France (+16.2%) posted double‐digit growth, while Italy remained stable and Germany (‐3.8%) performed less well than in April 2014.
From January to April 2015, results for trucks were diverse, with France (‐2.8%) and Germany (‐1.8%) performing less well than in the same period last year, while Spain (+23.3%) and the UK (+47.0%) recorded significant increases. Overall, the EU recorded 101,107 new trucks, or 11.9% more than in April 2014.
New Buses & Coaches over 3.5t

In April 2015, new bus and coach registrations increased (+5.5%) compared to April 2014. Italy (+83.3%), Spain (+28.3%) and France (+20.6%) mainly contributed to this positive result.
From January to April 2015, the EU market increased by 17.1%, totalling 12,175 new buses and coaches. Demand was driven primarily by Spain (+74.2%), Italy (+27.3%) the UK (+15.7%).
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About ACEA
- The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) is the Brussels-based trade association of the 14 major car, van, truck and bus producers in Europe.
- The ACEA commercial vehicle members are DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Ford Trucks, Iveco Group, MAN Truck & Bus, Scania, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, and Volvo Group.
- Visit www.acea.auto for more information about ACEA, and follow us on www.twitter.com/ACEA_auto or www.linkedin.com/company/ACEA/.
- Contact: Francesca Piazza, Senior Statistics Manager, fp@acea.auto.
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About the EU automobile industry
- 13.0 million Europeans work in the automotive sector
- 11.5% of all manufacturing jobs in the EU
- €374.6 billion in tax revenue for European governments
- €101.9 billion trade surplus for the European Union
- Over 7% of EU GDP generated by the auto industry
- €59.1 billion in R&D spending annually, 31% of EU total