Commercial vehicles: EU demand for trucks picks up in January

While van registrations in Europe* (EU27+EFTA) decreased by -1.9%, the market for trucks noted considerable increases, resulting in 22.3% more registrations of trucks over 3.5t and +23% for heavy trucks. With only Bulgaria benefiting from one more working day, no calendar effect occurred.

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

For the first time in ten months, van registrations recorded a slight decrease (-1.9%), due to a weaker demand in Western Europe (-4.5%). However, only two of the five main markets reported fewer registrations: Spain (-24.3%) and France (-5.1%). France remained the most important market with 37,474 vans registered. Italy posted a 17.3% increase. The number of new vans in the UK and Germany went up by 2.7% and 1.9%, respectively. Markets in the new Member States remained strong (+27%).The Czech Republic recorded again the highest number with 5,778 vans registered or a 32.2% increase. Registrations in Poland totaled 3,984 units, in Romania 2,882 units and in Slovakia 2,079 units.

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

Heavy trucks are the category which increased the most in January 2008, with 23% more registrations in Europe. With 26,869 units, demand on the Western European markets was dominant (+24.3%). Registrations in the new Member States remained modest (3,430 new registrations). With the exception of Greece, Ireland and Romania, all the markets contributed positively to the January result. The biggest increase was recorded in the Netherlands (+86.9%), followed by the UK (+45.9%) and France (44.6%). Germany registered the highest number in absolute figures (6,011 units). Among the new Member States, Poland stood out, registering 1,233 heavy trucks in January 2008, 20.1% more than last year.

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

The notable increase of registrations in the heavy truck sector was mirrored in the segment of commercial vehicles over 3.5t, where registrations rose by 22.3% in January. A similar geographical pattern occurred, with the Netherlands recording the highest increase (+86.2%), followed by the UK (+51.3%) and France (36.5%). Greece and Ireland lagged behind with respective decreases of 0.9% and 14.9%. Germany confirmed a solid performance with 8,697 new heavy trucks registered.

New Buses & Coaches over 3.5t

New bus and coach registrations in Europe went up by 8.9%. The results on the main national markets were mixed, with registrations down by 13.3% in Spain, 4.2% in Italy and 6.1% in Germany, ranking still third in absolute figures. The UK and France posted an increase of respectively 12.2% and 29%. Among the new Member States, Romania surfaced as leading market for buses and coaches.