Commercial vehicles: registrations down 37.6% five months into 2009

They totaled 138,830 units in May, decreasing by 39.0% compared to May last year. Five months into 2009, the downturn was -37.6% and affected all countries across all vehicle categories. May counted on average one working day less in Europe*.

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

In May, 115,342 new vans were registered, or 38.0% less than in May 2008. Among the major markets in Western Europe, Spain (-50.9%) and the UK (-50.4%) recorded the largest losses. Germany (-28.8%), Italy (-25.1%) and France (-23.2%) performed similarly. In the new EU Member States, Poland performed best (-33.9%), consolidating its position as the largest market in the region. It is followed by Romania (-69.0%) and Slovakia (-50.5%). The biggest drop was recorded by the Czech Republic (-80.8%). From January to May, the European* market decreased by 37.3%. In the main markets, new van registrations fell by 24.8% in France, 27.8% in Germany, 30.9% in Italy, 46.6% in the UK, 52.5% in Spain, 22.6% in Poland and 54.9% in the Czech Republic.

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

New heavy truck registrations halved in May (-49.6%) compared to the same month last year, with total registrations stalling at 13,342 units. In Western Europe, the downturn ranged from 38.8% in France to 39.9% in Germany, 51.7% in the UK, 55% in Italy and 79.5% in Spain. In the new EU Member States, results dropped even more sharply, by 64.5% in the Czech Republic, 66.2% in Poland and 79.6% in Romania. Five months into the year, the trend was similar, with markets decreasing by 32.2% in Germany, 33.5% in France, 44.1% in Italy, 47.5% in the UK and 77.1% in Spain. In the new EU Member States, new registrations were down 57.7% in the Czech Republic, 66.5% in Romania and 68.5% in Poland, resulting in an overall decline of 44.6%.

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

In the segment of trucks, new registrations plunged by 44.8% in May, totaling 20,659 units. In the main markets, France recorded a drop of 32.2%, Germany 36.5%, the UK 44.0%, Italy 46.6% and Spain 73.5%. Poland (-60.6%) and the Czech Republic (-63.0%) also saw their markets contract significantly. The year-to-date results showed an overall decline of 40.7%. Spain (-72.7%) was most severely hit among the major markets, while new registrations plunged by 38.6% in Italy and 39.0% in the UK. The German and French markets were down 29.8% and 30.2% respectively. Looking at the new EU Member States, results were down 63.6% in Poland and 52.8% in the Czech Republic.

New Buses & Coaches over 3.5t

In May, there were 28.6% fewer new buses and coaches registered in Europe* compared to the same month last year. In the largest markets, the UK performed best (-12.3%), consolidating its position with 669 units. France (-21.3%), Germany (-24.8%), Spain (-32.4%) and Italy (-40.4%) also saw their markets contract. Five months into the year, the decline was 25.3% in the segment of buses and coaches although the downturn affected all the biggest markets. Results fell in France by 7.5%, in the UK by 10.6%, in Germany by 11.9%, in Spain by 25.2% and in Italy by 29.4%.