Commercial vehicle registrations: +13.3% in first quarter; +20.7% in March

Brussels, 28 April 2015 – In March 2015, demand for new commercial vehicles in the EU increased for the third consecutive month (+20.7%), marking the highest monthly growth since December 2013 and totalling 223,749 units

Total new Commercial Vehicles 

In March 2015, demand for new commercial vehicles in the EU increased for the third consecutive month (+20.7%), marking the highest monthly growth since December 2013 and totalling 223,749 units. Growth was sustained across all segments of commercial vehicles. Spain (+67.6%), the UK (+25.6%), Germany (+13.1%),  France (+11.1%) and Italy (+10.2%) all posted double-digit growth, contributing to the overall expansion. 

In the first quarter of 2015, the EU market expanded by 13.3%, totalling 502,210 commercial vehicles. During the same period, Spain (+42.3%), the UK (+24.2%), Germany (+7.1%) and Italy (+7.0%) all posted growth,  while France was the only major market to record a decline (‐0.5%).

New Light Commercial Vehicles up to 3.5t – vans 

In March 2015, new registrations of light commercial vehicles totalled 189,319 units, or 20.5% more than in March 2014. This marked the nineteenth consecutive month of growth in this segment and the highest monthly growth since May 2011. Spain (+69.8%), the UK (+23.6%), Germany (+19.0%), France (+10.6%) and Italy (+6.1%) contributed positively to the upturn.

From January to March 2015, 419,142 new vans were registered in the EU or 13.6% more than in the same period last year. All major markets saw their demand for vans increase over this period, especially Spain (+44.5%), the UK (+22.3%) and Germany (+10.5%) which posted double-digit growth.

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

March 2015 results showed a 27.9% increase in new heavy truck registrations, totalling 24,649 units. This positive outcome was mainly sustained by the significant growth recorded in the UK (+77.6%), Spain (+41.0%), Italy (+44.4%) and France (+22.1%). Noteworthy was the contribution of the new EU member states(+34.4%) to last month’s positive outcome. 

Over the first quarter, the EU market grew by 15.6%, reaching 60,408 units. The UK (+67.6%), Spain (+23.4%), Italy (+14.4%) and Germany (+3.9%) saw their demand for heavy trucks increase, while the French  market declined by -6.6%. Impressive growth was also recorded in the Netherlands (+139.1%) during this  period.

New Medium & Heavy Commercial Vehicles over 3.5t (excluding Buses & Coaches) – trucks 

In March 2015, 30,603 new trucks were registered in the EU or 21.2% more than in March 2014. Among major markets the UK (+55.6%), Italy (+42.7%), Spain (+36.3%) and France (+14.9%) posted double‐digit growth,  while Germany remained stable. 

Three months into the year, results for trucks were diverse, with France (-8.6%) and Germany (-1.0%) performing less well than in the same period last year, while Italy (+12.7%), Spain (+22.5%) and the UK (+45.1%) recorded a significant increase. Overall, the EU recorded 74,138 new trucks, or 10.7% more than in  first quarter of 2014.

New Buses & Coaches over 3.5t

In March 2015, new bus and coach registrations increased (+33.1%) compared to March 2014. This was also due to the significant growth observed in the new EU member states (+33.6%). 

From January to March 2015, the EU market increased by 24.5%, totalling 8,930 new buses and coaches. Demand was driven primarily by Spain (+94.6%), the UK (+30.1%) and Italy (+15.6%).

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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
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