Commercial vehicles: registrations down 35.6% over three quarters

With the same number of working days in September 2008 and 2009, no calendar effect occurred. Three quarters into the year, Europe* totaled 1,270,241 new vehicle registrations, or 35.6% less than in the first nine months of last year.

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

In September, new registrations of vans were down 21.5% in Western Europe and 57.7% in the new EU Member States, resulting in an overall decline of 25.4%. Among the major markets, Italy performed best (-13.0%) followed by France (-18.8%), Spain (-20.8%), the UK (-22.4%) and Germany (-22.6%). In the new EU Member States, the Czech market, which was the largest last year, was hit the hardest and shrank by 80.8%. Poland managed best to cushion the drop (-33.7%) and registered the most vehicles in the region. From January to September, new registrations declined by 34.4%. The downturn hit the new EU Member States (-50.9%) more severely than Western Europe (-32.4%). France (-23.1%), Germany (-26.3%) and Italy (-26.4%) fared better than the UK (-40.8%) and Spain (-44.5%) while the Polish market contracted by 27.4% and the Czech by 65.6%.

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

The September results in the segment of heavy trucks showed a 42.2% decline in Europe*, with unequal performances in Western Europe (-38.7%) and the new EU Member States (-66.3%). The UK was the largest market and the only one to post growth (+26.8%). Germany (-55.4%), Italy (-55.1%) and France (-49.1%) were severely affected by the crisis while Spain (-36.3%) and the Netherlands (-36.6%) were also down. Poland remained the most important market in the new EU Member States despite a 45.6% downturn. Three quarters into the year, new heavy truck registrations were down 47.3% in Europe*. Western Europe recorded a 43.0% fall compared to the same period last year. The Netherlands (-30.0%), the UK (-37.7%), France (-38.5%), Germany (-41.8%), Italy (-49.6%) and Spain (-72.2%) all recorded a decrease. In the new EU Member States, Poland (-67.2%) and the Czech Republic (-61.4%) saw their markets contract the least compared to the other countries in the region. New Commercial Vehicles over 3.5t (excluding Buses & Coaches) – “trucks”

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

New truck registrations amounted to 23,841 units in September, which is 39.4% less than in the same month last year. In Western Europe, markets were down 36.4%. The UK stood out with the only positive figure (+5.4%) and the most vehicles registered. Germany followed closely in absolute figures despite the sharpest downturn recorded among the major markets (-50.4%). Spain was down 30.9%, France 46.3% and Italy 48.9%. In the new EU Member States, the overall decrease reached 61.7%. Nine months into the year, the European* market contracted by 43.2%. Looking at the major markets, the UK was down 34.6%, France 35.3%, Germany 37.1%, Italy 43.7% and Spain 67.3%. Western Europe declined by 39.1%, the new EU Member States by 67.9%.

New Buses & Coaches over 3.5t

The segment of buses and coaches fared the best in September with an overall 12.1% decline of the European market, composed of a respective 8.8% and 40.4% decrease in Western Europe and the new EU Member States. Looking at the major markets, France (+6.9%) and Spain (+1.5%) posted growth while Germany (-6.9%), the UK (-22.5%) and Italy (-41.3%) saw their market contract. Over three quarters, France was the only major market to expand (+8.8%). Germany (-7.7%), the UK (-14.1%), Spain (-19.6%) and Italy (-27.2%) were down. The 9.5% downturn in Western Europe and the 58.0% drop in the new EU Member States resulted in an overall 16.5% decline in Europe*.