Commercial vehicle registrations up 8.4% in November

Brussels, 20/12/2011 – In November, demand for new commercial vehicles was up 8.4%** in the EU*, with 171,670 new registrations**. The positive results were mainly supported by France (+9.9%), Germany (+13.9%) and the UK (+19.4%). Spain was the only major market to face a downturn (-14.6%). From January to November, the EU* market expanded by 10.5%**, recording 1,769,994 new vehicles. While Germany (+18.9%) and the UK (+18.0%) performed similarly, France posted a 5.9% growth and the Spanish market contracted by 5.9% compared to the same period a year ago.

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

In November, the segment of vans saw registrations increase by 8.5%, totaling 141,800 units**. France (+9.8%), the UK (+18.6%) and Germany (+18.8%) all performed better than in the same month last year. Spain, on the other hand, experienced a double-digit decline. Eleven months into year, 1,450,542 new vans** were registered in the EU*, or 7.6% more** than in the same period of 2010. Growth in the region* was mainly sustained by demand in France (+2.8%), the UK (+17.4%) and Germany (+18.4%). The Spanish market contracted by 9.5%.

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

November results for heavy trucks showed a 14.5% upturn**, the strongest across segments. The EU* registered 20,673 new trucks in the month. Growth prevailed in all major markets, ranging from 5.2% in Spain to 12.4% in France, 13.4% in Germany and 24.3% in the UK. From January to November, demand for new heavy trucks was up 37.5%, as all major markets recorded strong double-digit increases which reached 23.1% in Spain, 25.6% in Germany, 42.9% in the UK and 44.9% in France. In total, 216,841 new vehicles were registered**.

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

The truck segment expanded by 10.2%** in November, with a total of 27,243 new vehicles registered** in the EU*. All markets saw positive results, from 3.9% in Germany to 5.1% in Spain, 14.6% in France and 21.1% in the UK. In the first eleven months of 2011, strong performances in the major markets led to an overall 29.9% upturn** in the region. The German market expanded by 21.7%, the Spanish by 22.1%, the British by 29.61% and the French by 40.4%. Overall, new truck registrations amounted to 288,407 units**.

New Buses & Coaches over 3.5t

Buses and coaches were the only segment to face a downturn in November, declining by 11.4%**. As Spain (-14.8%), Germany (-16.9%) and France (-23.2%) performed less well than in the same month last year, the UK proved to be an exception with its positive result (+43.8%). Over eleven months, performances were diverse across the EU*, leading to a 1.0% drop in new registrations. Spain (+11.5%) and France (+16.6%) posted double-digit growths, while Germany (-5.3%) and the UK (-17.4%) fared less well. In total, 31,045 new buses and coaches were recorded** from January to November.