Commercial vehicle registrations down 10.6% in January

New commercial vehicle registrations further declined in January (-10.6%), pursuing a downward trend which prevailed throughout 2012. Of all most significant markets, the UK was the only one to post growth (+5.4%). France (-9.8%), Germany (-15.5%), Spain (-15.5%) and Italy (-23.6%) saw their markets shrink. In total, 126,110 vehicles were registered in the EU*.

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

In January, new van registrations decreased by 9.7%, amounting to 103,129 units. The UK market expanded (+11.9%), while France (-9.3%), Germany (-13.9%), Spain (-18.2%) and Italy (-25.7%) all faced a downturn. France recorded the most vans (29,505 units), followed by the UK (16,049 units) and Germany (14,260 units).

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

Demand for new heavy trucks declined the most sharply across segments in January (-18.4%), totaling 15,510 vehicles. All major markets contracted, from -9.3% in Italy to -11.1% in Spain, -15.4% in France and -22.0% in Germany and the UK.

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

January results in the segment of trucks were also negative (-17.2%), reflecting the general downturn across most markets. All significant ones recorded a double-digit decline, ranging from -10.1% in Spain to -14.2% in Italy, -15.1% in France, -19.5% in Germany and -21.2% in the UK. In total, 20,306 new trucks were registered in the EU*.

New Buses & Coaches over 3.5t

In January, the UK, France and Germany registered about the same number of buses and coaches although performing differently compared to last year. Demand slipped in the UK by 1.3% and decreased by 15.3% in Germany, while it was up 3.7% in France. Italy (+22.2%) and Spain (+51.1%) also posted growth. Overall, the EU* counted 2,675 new vehicles in the first month of 2013, or 9.8% more than in January 2012.