Commercial vehicle registrations down 4.7% in January

Brussels, 28/02/2012 – Demand for new commercial vehicles in the EU* decreased in January by 4.7% compared to the same month last year, amounting to 141,120 units. Germany was the only major market to post growth (+3.1%), while France (-1.8%), the UK (-8.1%), Spain (-21.1%) and Italy (-31.2%) all contracted. The month counted on average one more working day across the region than January 2011.

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

In January, new van registrations were down 6.4%, totaling 114,164 units. France remained the largest market despite a 2.6% drop, followed by Germany which was the only significant market to grow. The UK (-16.4%), Spain (-19.8%) and Italy (-32.8%) faced double-digit downturns.

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

The segment of heavy trucks expanded in January (+3.9%) with 18,949 new registrations in the EU*. Results were diverse across countries as the UK posted a strong growth (+35.8%), while France grew more moderately (+3.3%), Germany slipped by 1.6%, and Spain (-12.6%) and Italy (-13.5%) contracted more significantly.

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

The EU* registered 4.5% more trucks in January this year, compared with January 2011, recording 24,538 vehicles in total. Germany was the largest market, although shrinking by 2.3%, followed by France (+6.3%) and the UK, which posted the strongest growth among the major markets (+48.3%). Spain (-16.2%) and Italy (-14.6%) ranked fourth and fifth.

New Buses & Coaches over 3.5t

January saw a 4.5% decrease in new bus and coach registrations in the EU*. Germany (+18.9%), the UK (+24.0%) and France (-10.9%) recorded the most vehicles, while Italy (-35.2%) and Spain (-63.5%) contracted sharply.