Commercial vehicles: registrations up 4.3% over first semester

Over the first half-year, the market expanded by 4.3%, mainly lifted by the demand for vans (+8.0%). In total, 887,862 new commercial vehicles were recorded six months into the year.

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

New van registrations in June were up 12.9% compared to June last year, totaling 141,528 units. Like most EU countries, the major markets posted growth, ranging from 3.7% in Italy** to 14.4% in France, 17.1% in the UK, 17.6% in Germany and 21.5% in Spain. From January to June, 758,241 new vans were registered, or 8.0% more than over the same period a year ago. France (+10.5%) recorded the most new vehicles in numbers registered, followed by the UK (+15.6%), Italy** (+14.8%), Germany (+12.1%) and Spain (+24.1%).

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

In June, the segment of heavy trucks expanded by 17.3% with 14,843 new vehicles registered, marking the first increase in two years, and rebounding from very low levels. Of the main markets, the UK was the only one to decline (-2.9%), while France remained stable (+0.9), and Italy (+9.9%) and Germany (+43.7%) both expanded. In the first semester, 75,977 new heavy trucks were recorded, or 15.9% less than in the first semester of 2009. A vast majority of countries faced a downturn, ranging from -53.8% in Denmark to -5.9% in Germany. Of the most significant markets, the UK (-20.7%), Italy (-20.9%) and France (-24.6%) also contracted. Spain was the only one to grow (+8.2%)

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

In June, 22,318 new trucks were registered, representing an increase of 16.6% compared to the same month last year. Looking at the most important markets, France grew by 1.0%, the UK by 5.1%, Spain by 8.6%, Italy by 8.7% and Germany by 35.2%. Six months into the year, the truck category was down 13.4%, totaling 113,240 new registrations. Of the major markets, Spain (+2.3%) was the only one to post growth, while Germany (-3.2%), the UK (-16.0%), Italy (-19.0%) and France (-19.7%) all saw their markets contract.

New Buses & Coaches over 3.5t

New bus and coach registrations were up 4.9% in June, totaling 3,083 units. The UK (+0.8%) registered the most vehicles, followed by Sweden (+117.1%), France (-3.2%), Germany (-13.7%), Italy (+33.0%) and Spain (+0.4%). In the first semester, most countries recorded a downturn, including the UK (-6.0%), France (-6.9%), Germany (-14.7%) and Spain (-24.4%). Italy performed better than last year, registering15.6% more vehicles from January to June.